SINGAPORE - Television star Rui En has apologised, a day after she was reported to be assisting the police in an investigation of an accident involving her car and a motorcycle, said Lianhe Wanbao on Thursday (April 14).

She was quoted as telling the newspaper: "As a public figure, this accident has drawn everyone's attention and inconvenienced everyone, for which I apologise."

The 35-year-old actress said she was on the way home at about 4pm on Tuesday when she "misjudged a turn" and knocked over the motorcycle in the carpark in front of Block 332 in Clementi Avenue 2, where she usually parks.

She also explained what she meant when she said to the owner of the damaged bike: "Do you know who I am?"

The actress said she was trying to assure the owner, Mr Bahrom Sarmiten, that she is Rui En, she will not run away and she will stay to solve the problem.

She said he kept knocking on the window of her BMW car as if she might "run away from the scene".

She said: "In my state of anxiety, I told him, 'Do you know who I am? I live upstairs and won't run'."

She meant to say that she lived there and that people would recognise her if she ran away, she said.

"In hindsight, my choice of words were inappropriate and I agree that it caused unnecessary misunderstandings," she said in a statement on Thursday.

However, The New Paper reported on Friday (April 15) that Mr Bahrom said Rui En had not told him that she lives upstairs and "won't run".

When asked to clarify this, Rui En's manager told The New Paper that all that needs to be said is in the statement that was released.

On Tuesday afternoon, Rui En was driving her BMW when it knocked over a motorcycle in a carpark near her home. The police said they received a report of the accident near Block 331, Clementi Avenue 2, at 4.16pm.

On Thursday, both Lianhe Zaobao and Wanbao said Rui En was involved in another accident early this year, when she hit a car and drove away. Wanbao said the incident took place in Lornie Road on Jan 6.

Rui En reached a private settlement with the owner of the damaged car, after the latter posted the former's licence plate on social media to track her down, Zaobao said.

The actress' manager explained to Wanbao that she did not know her car had hit another vehicle, until her car was sent to a workshop and she was informed by a mechanic.

"At the same time, Rui En's friend read online about the owner of the affected car looking for the owner of a white BMW, and told Rui En. When Rui En found out, she took the initiative and contacted the owner," the manager was quoted as saying.

Rui En, who is filming the police drama C.L.I.F. 4, is in the running for Best Actress at the Star Awards on April 24. Her nomination is for the drama The Dream Makers 2.

She is also due to accept an All-time Favourite Artiste Star Award. Hype Records, the company that manages her, has confirmed that she would be attending the ceremony as planned.