Hong Kong artist Gigi Leung, 61, recently experienced a dangerous spike in blood pressure to 174 mmHg while filming the Mainland reality show “Flowers and Youth 2026” (Flowers and Youth 8), due to altitude sickness accompanied by severe headaches. This alarming condition startled her fellow artists who were with her.
According to mainland media reports, Gigi Leung’s filming schedule for “Flowers and Youth 2026” spanned across Mexico, Peru, and Argentina for 28 days. During filming at a famous historical site, the Pyramid, in Mexico, she faced challenges climbing in high-altitude environments, under intense sun exposure, and with a demanding schedule, leading her to exclaim on-site, “I have a severe headache.”
In order to not disrupt the cheerful atmosphere, Gigi Leung chose to leave the group early and retreat to rest in the car. Upon returning to the car, she removed her heavy coat, applied ice to her head to cool down, but unfortunately, her symptoms did not ease. Medical staff on board the car measured her blood pressure, which showed a high reading of 159/102 mmHg, surprising Gigi Leung, who is usually in good health and monitors her blood pressure daily, leaving her extremely scared and shocked at the sudden spike.
Gigi Leung’s condition worried her fellow artists such as Zhou Dongyu, Ariel Lin, Yin Tao, Deng Wei, and Wang Xingyue who were traveling with her. They all returned to the car one by one to offer comfort and support, and upon rechecking Gigi Leung’s blood pressure with her arm placed at rest, the reading had escalated to 174/93 mmHg, causing concern among them.
At one point, the accompanying artists doubted whether there was an error in the equipment, taking turns to test the blood pressure monitor which confirmed its proper functioning, revealing that Gigi Leung’s “high-pressure situation” was indeed due to her body’s altitude sickness.
Afterward, Gigi Leung clarified that this was mostly due to altitude sickness rather than just a high blood pressure issue. Fortunately, after resting for a day, the next day’s measurement showed her blood pressure had successfully returned to a normal value of 120/76 mmHg, bringing relief to the production team and all the artists. Gigi Leung humorously self-deprecates, “Getting older makes it easier to have high blood pressure,” and praised the young artists for their calm demeanor in facing sudden situations.
Gigi Leung is widely regarded as the “leading comedienne in the Chinese film industry,” the “double winner of the Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards for best actress,” and one of the “highest-grossing actresses in Hong Kong film history.” She joined the TVB artist training class in 1982, establishing an irreplaceable comedic status early on with her quirky performances that border on self-destructive, earning her the title of the “female version of Stephen Chow.” As she matured, she successfully broke away from the “comedienne” label, displaying an extremely diverse acting range, participating in variety shows like “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” and collaborating with Stephen Chow in “Fight Back to School.” In “The Inspector Wears Skirts,” she portrayed a tough female cop, allowing more audiences to recognize her and gradually becoming a familiar face in Hong Kong comedy films.
Having appeared in over a hundred films, Gigi Leung later took on more complex roles. Her portrayal of Thirteen Sister in “Young and Dangerous: The Prequel” showcased a tough exterior with a soft interior, earning her the Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards, while “Golden Chicken” led her to a Best Actress win at the Golden Horse Awards. In recent years, her production and lead role in “A Beautiful Moment” received high praise and awards at various film festivals.