Tears were shed, accusations made and lawsuits threatened. And just when the smile came back on Hong Kong pop star Gillian Chung's face, comes another shock.
It seems her ordeal of being photographed eight months ago while changing was a set-up.
A former senior management personnel from her management company, Emperor Entertainment Group, has claimed that the entire fiasco was staged to create publicity for Gillian, who is one half of Hong Kong's Cantopop duo Twins.
The person was identified only as Mr. L by the Hong Kong media.
Last August, Hong Kong gossip magazine Easy Finder weekly splashed a photo of Gillian changing on its cover, with the headline 'AhGill undoes bra in rear window'.
The pictures were allegedly shot by paparazzi with a pinhole camera during a Twins concert in Genting Highlands, Malaysia.
The incident sparked a furor in the entertainment industry where celebrities rallied against paparazzi for their unethical conduct.
At that time, Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang and action star Jackie Chan were among those who rallied around Gillian.
Malaysia even ordered Easy Finder to be taken off the shelves.
Emperor condemned the 'immoral' photos and said it would take legal action against Easy Finder, which is published by Next Media.
The company, owned by businessman Jimmy Lai, also publishes Next magazine and Apple Daily.
Popularity Woes
Mr. L claimed that since Gillian's debut five years ago, her popularity, or lack thereof as compared to her partner Charlene Choi, has always worried the management, reported Hong Kong's Oriental Daily.
'Last year, the company wanted them to go solo. But as Gillian was unable to hold the fort on her own, it was decided that Charlene would stay with her for another year,' claimed Mr. L.
Apparently, Gillian was a victim of the manipulation and was not privy to the deal.
'She is too timid. There's no way of informing her before it was carried out. But had it been Charlene, I believe she would cooperate,' he added.
The plan was simple.
Staff from Emperor allegedly hid a pinhole camera inside the changing room at the Genting Highlands concert.
Security was tight and only staff from the company could gain access easily.
The company then allegedly bribed Easy Finder with HK$200,000 ($39,000) to print the pictures.
Mr. L said the execution was almost flawless, except for one glaring detail.
After the blow-up, Emperor lashed out at the magazine and media, and vowed to take action.
But there was little follow-up.
The only recourse Gillian had was the fact that the Hong Kong court ruled that the photos were 'indecent'.
The magazine was subsequently required to be wrapped and made to display an 'Over-18only' warning.
When contacted by Malaysia's China Press, Twins' manager Ada Wong's retort came fast and furious.
'No such thing!' she exclaimed.
She questioned the veracity of the report.
'This is ridiculous and there's no such thing, so there's no need for any response,' she said. She also denied that the duo would split up.
'It's all false, so I think you don't have to bother yourself with such news,' she said.
When asked about the status of the police investigations, she said that there was no need for them to go to Malaysia to assist in investigations at the moment.
The Malaysian police is investigating Mr. L's claims.
A police spokesman said that if it is the truth, he should have contacted the police rather than the media.
He added that if the police get more evidence supporting the claim, they would not rule out the possibility of sending officers to Hong Kong to investigate.
They may also work with Interpol.
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