Time to quit acting, says Liz Smith (From Gazette Series)

Time to quit acting, says Liz Smith

3:22am Sunday 5th July 2009

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Former Royle Family star Liz Smith has revealed she is bowing out of acting after suffering a stroke.

The much-loved actress, 87, is still recovering after being in hospital for two months earlier this year.

Smith, who played Nana in the BBC comedy, said that, although she is getting stronger by the day, she accepts that further acting roles are beyond her.

"I do get muddled and sometimes feel I have to reach for words that elude me," said the actress, who only entered the world of acting in her 50s.

"I was getting terribly tired anyway, although I'd like to think I could eventually write again.

"I've got stories in my head, but I'm nearly 90 so if I don't do much now at least I've earned a rest."

Smith, who lives in a retirement block, stars in BBC4's Grey Expectations series, which aims to challenge preconceptions about what is possible for the over-60s.

The programme, Liz Smith's Summer Cruise, airs on Sunday, July 12, and sees the actress invited to do something she had never done before - embark on a luxury cruise.

The journey from Croatia to Venice was her first on a cruise ship since the Second World War, when she was crammed into a cabin with 20 fellow Wrens.

She said: "I've travelled a lot for work since then, but that ended abruptly last January. I was in hospital for about two months and have been very gradually getting better ever since."

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