A real life-and-death drama between two television stars has enthralled
Singapore as a young actor saved his dying girlfriend by donating part
of his liver.

Andrea De Cruz, the bubbly host of a lifestyle show, was stricken
with acute liver failure at the age of 27 and needed an urgent
transplant to survive the week.

Pierre Png, a heartthrob who works for the same TV station, offered
almost half of his liver to save her life in a complex operation which
ended Wednesday.

"This is better than any drama serial the TV station can come up
with," one professional woman who asked not to be named said.

Local newspapers have dedicated pages to the intricacies of the
procedure, alongside tales of Png's devotion to De Cruz.

"Pierre's actions show how much he loves her and how much he
really cares," a friend of the couple's told the Straits Times
newspaper.

Flowers and teddy bears have landed at the hospital as the clock
ticks through the critical 48 hours after the surgery.

"Andrea has regained consciousness and is now still
resting," a hospital statement said Thursday. "She has been
taken off the respirator."

According to the Straits Times, Png's first words on waking after
surgery were to ask how his girlfriend was.

Both were reported to be in stable condition.