Will the leaves grow back on a gardenia?

During the winter months i got busy/lazy and did not water my gardenia well enough and all the leaves wilted. They where half alive and looked horrible so I removed them after reading that a plant will kill itself trying to keep every dying piece of it alive. My once beautiful gardenia is now completly naked. Its still alive but after over a month i have not seen any visible signs of growth (ie...tiny leaves or new branches) Will the leaves grow back on the existing branches or only on the new ones? is it ok to cut branches uming they will regrow? Thanks for any help :)