Hollywood star Catherine Zeta Jones was the year's fifth biggest female earner with an annual income greater than the Queen or pop princess Kylie Minogue, according to a newspaper survey.

The Welsh actress has picked up �10.5m for her roles which this year have culminated in being nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the musical film Chicago.

Female high earners

JK Rowling �48m Madonna �27m Robin Saunders �11.7m Anne Robinson �11m Catherine Zeta Jones �10.5m

The income makes her the highest earning Welsh woman during 2002.

The Harry Potter author J K Rowling, who grew up in the Forest of Dean on the Welsh borders, tops the list of high-earning women in the UK after netting �48m from her publishing phenomenon.

The Mail on Sunday's eighth annual female-only rich list concentrates only on how much its subjects earn during a year rather than their overall wealth.

Zeta Jones, who is expecting her second child with husband Michael Douglas, has stunned audiences in the US and won critical acclaim for her singing and dancing in Chicago.

The Swansea-born star is reported to have recorded a single of the Chicago number, I Move On, with co-star Renee Zellweger, which could hit the charts.

Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger may hit the charts with a single

But her earnings already top those of veteran pop star Kylie Minogue, rated ninth with an income of �8m, as well as other pop personalities such Sheena Easton, Victoria Beckham and Sophie Ellis Bextor who all fall outside the top ten.

Only Madonna, who qualifies for the survey because she lives in the UK, and television presenter Anne Robinson, have netted more from showbusiness in the past year than Zeta Jones.

However, Madonna is thought to have made much of her estimated �27m income from a promotions deal with software giant Microsoft.

Anne Robinson is reported to have banked �11m thanks largely to the success of presenting the quiz show The Weakest Link on both sides of the Atlantic.

Third on the list is the investment banker Robin Saunders with an estimated �11.7m.

The survey puts the Queen's yearly earnings at �7.7m, although this does not include civil list payment towards the costs of being monarch.