The newspaper said in its headline that Singha planned to fire the beauty queen because Glebova was romantically involved with Thai tennis ace Paradorn Srichaphan.

Tom Kruesophon, chief of Singha's international market, said the report was groundless. He insisted that the Canadian-Russian beauty queen was still performing her duties as brand ambassador for Singha.

However, Tom didn't say much about her romantic relationship with the tennis star, even though fans of both stars wish the news were true.

But, come to think of it, the rumoured relationship between Paradorn and Glebova should promote Singha rather than tarnish the image of the company.

There's no such thing as bad publicity, especially when it comes to a celebrity's image.

Before Tata Young launched her first international album, her serious romance with "Ball" Paradorn drummed up public attention for her after a hiatus of a couple of years.

Fans love to see a golden couple. Paradorn was the hottest tennis star. (Sorry, now the crown goes to Danai Udomchoke.) Tata was a hugely popular Thai singer.

Unfortunately, the romance ended. But fans didn't seem to care much. They continued to support Tata in her effort to embark upon an international career.

Now comes the new talk of the town: the love story between the most beautiful lady in the universe and the tennis ace.

Although the stories are mostly speculation, they haven't damaged the image of the two stars.

With his declining international ranking, the news of his rumoured romance showed that Paradorn wasn't down and out but still having a good time.

Many Thais meanwhile wish the news to be true because they'd love to embrace Glebova, whose Thai nickname is "Fah" (Sky), as their daughter-in-law.

Busdsk@nationgroup.com