Dame Elizabeth won an Oscar for her role in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Last summer she spent 10 days in the same hospital after breaking a bone in her back following a fall at her Los Angeles home.

In 1997 she had surgery to remove a brain tumour and she has also had both hips replaced, two bouts of pneumonia and treatment for high blood pressure.

The latest scare comes just a few months after she was made a Dame by the Queen during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Peak

Dame Elizabeth described the investiture last May as "the peak of my life".

She spent a few days back in her native England, before returning to the US, where she has lived for years.

The eight-times married star has twice won the Oscar for Best Actress.

In 1960 she received the honour for her portrayal of a call-girl in Butterfield 8. Six years later she triumphed again for her role as the alcoholic wife of her then husband Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Best known for starring in Cleopatra and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, the work has dried up in recent years.

Her most recent role was a cameo part in The Flintstones in 1994.