SINGAPORE - Actress Zoe Tay - local television's 'Big Sister' - wished her step-mother a happy birthday on Instagram on Tuesday (June 30).

The 52-year-old actress posted a photo of herself sharing a laugh with her step-mother, Madam Wong Pong Chin, whose face is obscured in the picture.

Tay, who has long referred to Madam Wong as her mother, wrote in Chinese: "Mummy, happy birthday. I hope you stay healthy and happy every day. Thank you for ensuring that that I eat well, wear good clothes and sleep well."

She added in English: "You're (an) amazing woman, thanks for raising me."

Tay's biological mother died when she was three, in an accident. She was the youngest of six children. Her father later remarried and had a daughter with Madam Wong.

In a 2017 interview with The Straits Times, Tay said of Madam Wong: "She gave a lot of love to our family, so we all respect her a lot. So it's no difference to me that she's not my blood mum."

She did not disclose the exact age of her step-mother, who she calls the "most beautiful woman", but said she is in her 80s.

Tay also jokingly chastised herself as a "lazy daughter" who has not inherited Madam Wong's "first-class cooking skills".

The star looks forward to the day she can travel again with her family, when border closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are lifted.

Tay's fellow colleagues - including veteran actresses Aileen Tan and Hong Huifang, as well as younger stars like Bonnie Loo and Zhang Zhenhuan - have left comments wishing Madam Wong well on her birthday.