A victim of love.

Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung has played that role in her illustrious 27-year acting career.

Who would have guessed the beautiful, charismatic and talented woman would become that in real life? Earlier this month, the 47-year-old returned to Hong Kong from her home in Beijing looking alarmingly stick-thin.

The Hong Kong media reported there had been many loud arguments in the Beijing apartment Cheung shared with her on-off German architect boyfriend Ole Scheeren, 40.

The star of films like In The Mood For Love and The Soong Sisters reportedly ended their tumultuous four-year romance and left their love nest fuming.

So broken-hearted was she that the 1.68m-tall Cheung now weighs only 40kg, prompting the Hong Kong media to call her a "match-stick person".

A close friend of Cheung reportedly revealed she eats only salads and chain-smokes while other pals are worried she may be suffering from anorexia.

But more news surfaced over the weekend, casting Cheung in an even more pitiful light.

It was reported in the Hong Kong media that she and Mr Scheeren had made joint investments and she suffered big losses on the stock market.

Cheung reportedly lost about an eight-figure sum in Hong Kong dollars (at least S$1million).

Cheung was the first Chinese actress ever to win the Best Actress award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1992 for Centre Stage, and also at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 for Clean.

She's passionate, needy

Other reports had claimed she had given up her acting career to move to Beijing in 2008 to live a happy family life with Mr Scheeren - although some speculated it was so she could keep an eye on her boyfriend.

Cheung had once described herself as a needy and passionate lover, adding in an interview: "Every time I dated, I'd wish I could be stuck to the other party 24 hours.

"It was natural for me, but for two people, it was like pulling a rubber band until it broke." Cheung reportedly rented an apartment in the Ascott Beijing as their home, paying 150,000 yuan (S$30,000) a month.

Foreign reports also said she lavished him with sport cars and luxury watches.

Despite enjoying success in her career, she has been very unlucky in love.

She married French director Olivier Assayas in 1998, but they divorced amicably in 2001.

Cheung then dated French businessman Guillaume Brochard in 2003, but the relationship ended four years later.

Soon after that, she hooked up with Mr Scheeren, whom she had met at the birthday party of her agent in Beijing.

However, their romance has been rocky.

Last year, Mr Scheeren was said to have found a new girlfriend in a pleasant-looking, 30-something Chinese designer who has her own label in Shanghai.

Reports added he even moved out of the Beijing home he shared with Cheung.

While Cheung dismissed the rumour, she was spotted in Hong Kong looking depressed and gaunt, with her collar bones and ribs showing, fuelling talk that all was not well at home.

Right before their recent break-up, he was also said to have flirted openly with a 20-year-old colleague in his office.

Last month, Cheung reportedly told overseas media she has no plans at all for marriage.

Though she's supposedly nursing a broken heart, it's life as usual on the outside.

She recently appeared at a hotel's gala opening in Paris and mingled with stars like Liam Neeson and Alain Delon.

Making a return

According to industry talk, Cheung is looking to return to the big screen, possibly to recoup her investment losses.

Her last movie was 2046 in 2004, and she made small appearances in the 2010 Hong Kong romantic film Hot Summer Days and the 2010 British art film Better Life.

She also had a few scenes in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, but they were axed from the final cut.

Cheung was in town in May to grace the grand opening of Universal Studios Singapore, and she told the local media it didn't bother her that her scenes were cut.

She added: "I want to act again, I just don't know which one yet. I think it's because I have been away for a few years, it makes it harder for me. So I am just enjoying myself and learning new things outside of acting.

"I've always had an interest for behind-the-scenes production but I don't know what I can actually do. Right now, I'm in love with editing, so I'm learning how to edit on my computer. I think that's the direction I want to go."

However, her hefty fee of HK$25 million (S$4.1 million) may hamper her chances of a comeback. A senior management staff member from a Hong Kong movie production company reportedly confirmed the news of Cheung's intended return.

However, Hong Kong movie companies will not be able to afford the amount, the insider added, and it's only in China that she can get paid so much.

In the meantime, Cheung is keeping a brave front among her friends, celebrating her 47th birthday last Tuesday with them at a Hong Kong club.

A source told the Hong Kong media: "Although she's out of love, Maggie appears very strong on the surface.

"She was drinking and smoking the entire night. She looks fine, just that she lost a lot of weight. Her arms look like skin and bones."