Jonathan Rhys Meyers in suicide attempt: The Tudors star is rushed to hospital after a bid to take his own life By BEN TODD
Last updated at 9:41 PM on 30th June 2011
[size=1.2em]Troubled actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers was rushed to hospital by ambulance after a suspected suicide attempt. [size=1.2em]Meyers - who played Henry VIII in raunchy BBC series The Tudors - is believed to have taken pills at his £3million home in Maida Vale, west London on Tuesday evening. [size=1.2em]The handsome actor - who has been battling a long-standing drink problem - was found slumped on the floor by paramedics. They were forced to call police after he initially refused treatment at the scene. [size=1.2em]The Irish actor was then taken to hospital.
[size=1.2em]A source said: ‘It was the opinion of those present that he tried to take his life.’ [size=1.2em]Meyers, 33, was then discharged in the early hours of Wednesday morning. [size=1.2em]A female neighbour of the star said: ‘I saw the ambulance arriving and was worried to death. [size=1.2em]‘Jonathan is a lovely guy. You see him all the time in the street. He says hello and is very pleasant. I hope he is fine.’ [size=1.2em]Meyers is regarded as one of the rising stars of the acting world. [size=1.2em]However, the actor - who owns homes in Los Angeles and Monaco as well as London and his native Dublin - has long battled a drink problem which worsened following the death of his beloved mother in 2007.
[size=1.2em]Last month, Rhys Meyers checked into a five-star rehabilitation centre in South Africa. It was his fifth stint in rehab. [size=1.2em]The actor has been dating heiress Reena Hammer - whose father owns the Urban Retreat spa in Harrods department store - for seven years.
[size=1.2em]However, there have been rumours their relationship has recently been under threat. [size=1.2em]Meyers has starred in films including Alexander, Velvet Goldmine and Bend It Like Beckham. He won a Golden Globe for his role as Elvis in a US TV series. [size=1.2em]He is also a pin-up, and has worked as a model for Hugo Boss and Versace.
[size=1.2em]In the past, he has spoken of his alcohol problem, admitting: ‘When I do drink I'm like Bambi. I'm all over the place like a 16-year-old kid.’ [size=1.2em]Scotland Yard today confirmed: ‘Officers were called by London Ambulance Service to a residential address following reports of man refusing treatment.
[size=1.2em]'Police and London Ambulance Service were in attendance and a 33-year old man was taken to a central London hospital for treatment.’ [size=1.2em]Rhys Meyers has also been arrested twice at airports in drink-related incidents in the past. [size=1.2em]He was arrested at Dublin Airport and arrested for being drunk and in breach of the peace in November 2007. The charges were subsequently dropped. [size=1.2em]He was also detained by police in June 2009 at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris after allegedly assaulting an bar staff employee while drunk. [size=1.2em]Last night, a spokesman for Rhys Meyers was unavailable for comment.
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