HK singer Gigi Leung's family disapprove of her beau

Hong Kong singer-actress Gigi Leung has been dating her French boyfriend for over three years but he still has not met her family as they do not approve of him.

"My family is conservative, they could not accept my relationship with my foreign boyfriend right from the beginning, though they all respect my decision," Leung told reporters at a store-opening of a fashion label on Wednesday.

Leung admitted that her boyfriend was perturbed by her family's refusal to accept him.

However, the 34-year-old singer said that she would "let nature take its course" and "not rush things". She also pointed out that they are "not considering marriage yet".

Last year, Hong Kong media reported that the songbird was seeing a media-shy 40-year-old Frenchman, a furniture designer known only as Sly. Prior to that, Leung dated Hong Kong actor-singer Ekin Cheng for six years before splitting in 2006.

Leung's boyfriend was not the only thing on her mind. She is working hard and saving up as she hopes to be able to buy a house as a gift to her family this year.

"I live in Central while my family lives in Sai Kung. I want them to move to somewhere near my home so we can see each other more often," said Leung, adding that she had no specific budget and wanted to find a place her family likes.

Leung added that she is currently in the midst of preparing for her next Cantonese album but would still visit her family whenever she has time.

"I don't know when I will need to fly off. When I travel, I might be gone for a whole month and will really miss my family," she said.

- CNA/ha