British actress Natasha Richardson is in a critical condition after a skiing accident in Canada, according to media reports today.
London's Evening Standard newspaper said Richardson (45), the wife of Irish actor Liam Neeson, had suffered a "traumatic head injury" at the ski resort of Mont Tremblant, north of Montreal.
The resort said Richardson appeared to be in good condition after the fall, which happened during a lesson. The instructor called members of a ski patrol who accompanied her to the bottom of the hill.
"She seemed to be fine and had no obvious injuries," resort spokeswoman Lyne Lortie told French-language public broadcaster Radio-Canada. The patrol members escorted her back to the hotel and recommended she see a doctor.
"She walked back to her room, she insisted on going back to her room. About an hour later the instructor - who had stayed with her to make sure everything was all right - noticed that Ms Richardson was not feeling well and called an ambulance," Ms Lortie said.
Richardson was taken first to a local hospital and then to Montreal's Hopital du Sacre-Coeur.
A spokeswoman for the hospital declined to confirm whether the actress was there and referred all calls to her family and agent. Richardson's British agent also declined to comment.
Corin Redgrave, Richardson's uncle, told the newspaper: "I have heard this morning from a family representative about Natasha's accident and am very saddened."
The BBC said a member of Richardson family, who asked not to be named, said the whole family was "very distressed".
Ms Lortie said she was surprised by reports of a serious head injury because Richardson "spoke without any confusion, she knew where she was, she was in full control of herself ... there was no visible injury, no sign of impact".
Richardson, the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave, won a Tony award in 1998 for her performance in the musical Cabaret.Neeson, who was filming in Toronto, has flown to be with his wife in Montreal. The couple, who met on a film set, have two sons, aged 11 and 13.