Former actress-singer Isabella Leong Lok-si has split with entrepreneur Richard Li Tzar-kai just months after giving birth to twin boys in June.
The 22-year-old announced the news in a press statement last night which read: 'This new year has marked a new chapter in my life: I have parted with Richard Li. I will always have fond memories of our time together and will continue to share custody of our children. We will ensure the kids' happy and healthy developments.'
Their first son, Ethan Li Cheung-chi, was born in 2009.
Leong's spokeswoman, Michelle Loo, said their relationship ended earlier this year and the decision was personal. No details were given.
Li, 44, is chairman of PCCW, Hong Kong's biggest telecommunications provider, and the younger son of Li Ka-shing, Asia's richest tycoon.
Loo told the Sunday Morning Post last night that their separation was completely unrelated to an article that appeared in Next magazine 10 days ago, which reported that Leong was dating a man in Toronto. The magazine published a series of photo shots with Leong sitting in a bar and chatting with a young man. Loo said the man in the photo was a childhood friend of Leong's from school who was also known to Li.
Loo said the pictures were taken last year, long before the couple split up. 'The article is unfair. Even rich people can have friends,' she said.