Oscar-winning actress Sophia Loren has said she is better following her fall, and will “take some time off” for rehabilitation therapy.
The Italian-born star of the Golden Age of Hollywood, 89, had emergency surgery and sustained several “serious fractures” to different parts of her hip, including her femur, according to her agent.
She fell in her bathroom at her Swiss home, Andrea Giusti told the PA news agency on Monday, as she confirmed Loren’s sons, Carlo and Edoardo Ponti, were at her bedside.
On Tuesday, a statement issued on behalf of Loren by her representative said: “I thank everyone for the closeness and affection that they have been showing me.
“I’m better, I just need to do rehabilitation and (to) take some time off.”
Loren, who rose from poverty close to Naples to become an Academy-Award winning actress, began her career in Italian cinema before she was snapped up by Hollywood.
She acted opposite the greats including Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant.
Her appearances in comedy Houseboat and Napoleonic-era war film The Pride And The Passion – opposite Grant – led him to make a marriage proposal, which she rejected.
Instead, she married film producer Carlo Ponti Sr in 1966 and stayed with him until his death in 2007.
Known for playing opposite Marcello Mastroianni – a notable comedic collaborator of Loren’s in films such as Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow, which won the Academy Award for best foreign language film – her own Oscar was given for her more serious role.
Her performance as Cesira in 1960’s Two Women, directed by Vittorio De Sica, earned her best actress and made her the first actor or actress to win an Academy Award for a foreign-language performance.
In 1990, Loren also won an honorary award at the Oscars for being “one of the genuine treasures of world cinema” who has had a “career rich with memorable performances” and added “permanent lustre” to the industry.