Biography
Lai is the granddaughter of Lai Man-Wai, a key figure of the first generation of Hong Kong filmmakers. Her father was deaf and when her family went bankrupt, she entered the entertainment industry at the age of 14 to earn money to support her family and her younger brother's education in England. Lai began her career as a singer, releasing several albums in the 1990s in both Cantonese and Mandarin.
In her early acting career, Lai turned down roles that she felt compromised her public persona. However, she overcame her "superficial and childish image" later and began to embrace many critically acclaimed roles. She won the Most Popular Actress Award at the 2004 TVB Anniversary Awards for her role in War and Beauty. Lai also performed in several box office hits, including the Young and Dangerous film series. At the premiere of The Gem of Life, Lai announced that she would be retiring from the industry to concentrate on looking after her brother's business after he was seriously injured in a car accident in 2007.
In 2008, Lai married businessman Patrick Ma Ting-kung to rumours that they were expecting their first child, however Lai later dismissed the rumours of her pregnancy.
In March 2010, Lai confirmed that she was pregnant with twins, on the 25th of July 2010 giving birth to two girls.
Read more about this topic: Gigi Lai