Ian McKellen says fat suit saved his 'ribs and other joints' in fall from London stage

London: Veteran actor Ian McKellen, who is recovering after falling off the stage at a London theatre, says the fat suit he was wearing for the show saved him from more serious injuries.

Back in June, the 85-year-old lost his footing while performing a fight scene as John Falstaff in Player King, a production of William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts One and Two, at the Noel Coward theatre here.

After the fall, McKellen -- known for blockbuster film franchises such as The Lord of the Rings and X-Men -- cried out in pain and called for help. The show was eventually cancelled.

"It was in the battle scene. My foot got caught in a chair, and trying to shake it off I started to slide on some newspaper that was scattered over the stage, like I was on a skateboard. I was wearing a fat suit for Falstaff and that saved my ribs and other joints. So, I’ve had a lucky escape really," the actor told Saga magazine.

McKellen, currently wearing a neck and wrist brace, said he is on the road to recovery.

"My chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist are not yet mended. I don’t go out because I get nervous in case someone bangs into me, and I’ve got agonising pains in my shoulders to do with my whole frame having been jolted," he added.

After his injury, understudy Devid Semark took on the role of Falstaff and continued with the shows.

McKellen said the accident has "let down the whole production".

"I feel such shame. I was hoping to be able to rejoin the play on the tour, but I couldn't," said the actor who is being cared for by his "beloved friends next door" at his London home.