Leonardo DiCaprio has taken a big first step in repairing his teen-dream reputation, which has been damaged of late by too many late nights at seen-and-be-seen hot spots with his misbehaving bad-boy posse and nonappearances at various award ceremonies. The Titanic heartthrob and most wanted 23-year-old on the planet reportedly took time out from model-chasing and partying to visit a 17-year-old Chinese gymnast who was paralyzed after a fall last week during practice for the Goodwill Games in the Big Apple. On Thursday night, Leonardo, wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, spent about an hour meeting privately with gymnast Sang Lan at the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Institute in Manhattan, but no details about what the two discussed have been revealed. "It was a private visit. That's all we're going to say," DiCaprio's mouthpiece tells the New York Daily News. No word on whether Lan was able to try out the little bit of English she learned ("Hi, how are you?") in anticipation of Leonardo's visit. Leo, surrounded by a wall of security guards, didn't comment as he left the center through the underground parking garage. The actor reportedly postponed a scheduled trip to the Los Angeles in order to meet with Lan. "He was very sad [and] felt he had to do something," his publicist Cindy Guagenti, told the New York Post this week. Sang, who underwent surgery on Saturday and is not expected to walk again, has a picture of DiCaprio posted near her bed. She was disappointed when she found out that Titanic wasn't yet out on video, but Paramount's PR team jumped into action and sent her a studio copy. Lan's next celebrity encounter will likely be "My Heart Will Go On" singer Celine Dion, who is trying to arrange a meeting after learning of the gymnast's desire to see her. "She'll be there next week," Dion's publicist promises the Post. "She can't wait to do it. She definitely wants the girl to know she's with her." DiCaprio has graced ailing young girls with a visit in the past. Last month, the star met with eight girls at the Beverly Hills Planet Hollywood, a treat organized through the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

-- Dan Draghici (ddraghic@sprint.ca), August 02, 1998