A Singaporean TV personality who nearly died from liver failure after taking slimming pills is suing the Chinese manufacturer for damages and the cost of a transplant operation.

Slimming products are popular in fashion-conscious Singapore

A lawyer for Andrea De Cruz said she had also filed a suit against the Singaporean importer and distributor of the drug - Slim 10 - alleging it damaged her liver.

Ms De Cruz was saved when her boyfriend - fellow actor Pierre Png - donated part of his liver to her in a marathon operation which gripped the nation.

Another woman died and at least 14 others fell ill from liver failure after taking the drug, although there is no conclusive evidence that Slim 10 was the cause.

Criminal case

The legal action by Ms De Cruz is the first civil suit over the product, although the Singapore Government has already filed criminal charges against the importer.

Slim 10 was taken off the market in Singapore in April after health officials said it contained a banned substance - fenfluramine - which is known to cause heart valve problems, swelling of the thyroid gland and, possibly, liver failure.

About 20,000 bottles containing 120 pills each were sold in Singapore during the four months that Slim 10 was on sale. The slimming industry in Singapore is worth tens of millions of dollars.

Ms De Cruz has never publicly admitted to taking the pill, but her doctor confirmed that she had taken it.

The operation to save the popular television personality is reported to have cost S$300,000 (US$170,000).