MANILA, Philippines — A television star damsel in distress and her dramatic rescue by an actor suitor has given the deadly floods a Hollywood-style luster.

Clips of terrified Cristine Reyes, 20, clad in white trousers and black blouse with a plunging neckline as she stood on the roof of her suburban Marikina home in the rain amid swiftly rising waters, have scored thousands of hits on video sharing site YouTube.

Equally riveting was her rescue in the dark several hours later by movie star Richard Gutierrez, using a borrowed motorboat.

"I've climbed up my rooftop but the water would not stop rising," said the actress.

She told GMA television network that she sent urgent appeals Saturday for rescue to friends, including Gutierrez, who eventually rode to her rescue shortly after midnight.

"I thought it was the end of the world," she added.

Authorities said the floods had submerged 80 percent of the capital and killed at least 140 people.

Gutierrez said it took him several hours to look for his young colleague's Provident Village address as the streets had been submerged underwater "and the current was quite strong."

"I went to her aid because she is my friend," said Gutierrez, who has expressed a romantic interest in Reyes.