Sunday July 9, 2006 Hong Kong ABSENCE did not make the heart grow fonder for Gigi Leung and ex-flame Ekin Cheng. Five months after their surprise break-up, the singer-actress has finally broken her silence on why they parted ways after six years together. In a report published on the website Sina.hk, Leung clarified that it was not the pressure to get married, as widely believed, but rather, the long periods of separation due to their respective work commitments that drove them apart. “I believe that love needs time to nurture but it was difficult to maintain the relationship when both of us were working hard. Although the heart was there, the will just wasn’t,” the 30-year-old explained. As news of their split came earlier this year, there wasn’t much sympathy for Leung. Cheng, 38, was notorious for leaving his then girlfriend of eight years, actress Maggie Siu, 41, for Leung. credits: star-ecentra, asianfanatics. In hindsight, Leung acknowledged that she had not handled the situation then well. “At that time (when she and Cheng started going out), I just felt that if I was being pursued, it was okay to accept. I didn’t expect such a difficult path ahead.” Any possibility of a reconciliation with Cheng? “No, we’re better off being friends; it feels more comfortable and relaxing that way.” Nevertheless, the former lovebirds had not had any contact since they broke up. Leung said she still needs time to get over the love affair before she’s ready to meet him again.
