Liz Smith retires from acting

Liz Smith has announced that she is to retire from acting after spending two months in hospital following a stroke.

The 87-year-old Royle Family star said that acting roles are now beyond her, despite her ongoing recovery, the BBC reports.

Smith said: "I do get muddled and sometimes feel I have to reach for words that elude me.

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

She added: "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.

"I get exhausted and have to take it easy, but I don't know when I'll reach my peak - probably at the end of the year."

Smith appears as part of BBC Four's Grey Expectations season, with Liz Smith's Summer Cruise to air on July 12.

She was honoured with an MBE for her services to drama in the Queen's New Year Honours List.