Ian McKellen admits fat suit saved him after stage fall

Ian McKellen says he is still in "agonising pain" after falling from the stage during a play in London but feels "lucky" that he was wearing a fat suit at the time.

The 85-year-old actor was performing in Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London in June when he lost his footing. He had to quit his planned part in the UK tour to deal with his injuries but admitted that it could have been a lot worse had he not been wearing a fat suit.

"My chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist are not yet healed," he told Saga magazine.

"I avoid going out because I'm nervous someone might bump into me, and I've been dealing with agonising pain in my shoulders due to the jolt my body took. But the fat suit I wore for Falstaff saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky!"

The Lord of the Rings star noted he has "relived the fall" several times and described the whole experience as "horrible" because it marked the end of his participation in the show.

"I thought it was the end of something. It was very upsetting. The end didn't mean my death, but it felt like the end of my participation in the play. It was just a bloody accident! I didn't lose consciousness, I hadn't been dizzy, but I've not been able to return to the stage, and they've continued without me."