Singapore has been captivated by a real-life drama involving two TV stars, after a young actor donated almost half of his liver to save his dying girlfriend.

Now the nation is anxiously waiting to see whether Andrea De Cruz, the popular host of a lifestyle show, will pull through after a 12-hour operation.

According to the Singapore's Straits Times newspaper, the next 48 hours will be critical for the 27-year-old, who has been stricken with acute liver failure.

Her boyfriend Pierre Png, a national heart throb, is resting in a room next to her at Gleneagles Hospital intensive care unit.

Stable

Both stars, who work at the same TV station, are said to be in a stable condition.

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

For Mr Png himself, doctors said the danger period had been during the operation itself - the first living, non-related liver transplant in Singapore.

Local newspapers have devoted pages on the details of the couple's relationship, which only became fully public after Mr Png's organ donation came to light.

"This is better than any drama serial the TV station can come up with," one woman told Reuters news agency.