He has shown us what love is

Pierre Png's mother

The dramatic story has gripped the nation and there was an anxious wait to see whether Andrea De Cruz, the popular host of a lifestyle show, would recover from the operation.

But the Straits Times reported on Friday that the 27-year-old was now breathing on her own, and is also expected to be out of intensive care within the week.

The couple, who were in adjoining rooms at Gleneagles Hospital, had their beds moved so they could see each other through a glass partition.

Now they have been temporarily separated - Mr Png has been moved from intensive care to a private room in a normal ward.

Low risk

Transplant surgeon KC Tan told the Straits Times that if Miss De Cruz is able to leave her bed in the next month or two, "the risk of her dying is very low".

He said her youth helped in a 12-hour operation which was the first of its kind in Singapore.

Mr Png's mother, Lucy, said: "He has shown us what love is."

Local newspapers have devoted pages to 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.