JOANNE Peh won the coveted Best Actress award at the Star Awards ceremony held at Caldecott Hill on Sunday night, beating hot favourite Jeanette Aw.

But Aw, 29, did not leave empty-handed. She was voted one of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes.

Both actresses starred in the hit Mandarin drama series, The Little Nyonya, about a Peranakan family in 1930s Singapore, which aired on MediaCorp's Channel 8 late last year.

But the drama failed to live up to the high expectations as it scooped only four awards, including Best Drama Serial, out of 15 acting nominations.

MediaCorp had postponed its annual Star Awards, moving the ceremony from the usual December slot to March, so its blockbuster shows at the tail-end of last year could be eligible for the trophies.

Other winners from The Little Nyonya included veteran actress Xiang Yun and Ng Hui, who both won Best Supporting Actress awards.

Peh, 25, who looked shocked at her win, said: 'My mind is a complete blank right now. Originally, when I auditioned for the lead role of Yue Niang and didn't get it, I was a little upset.

'But I took the challenges on. The role that was given to me instead had a lot of room for me to express my acting skills.'

Peh and Aw both made it to the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes category, which was decided by the public, who voted through SMS. It was a nail-biting moment for Aw, whose name was announced last in the category.

Veteran actor Chen Han Wei scooped the Best Actor award for his role as a HIV-positive family man in the series, By My Side.

Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.