Billie: I'm doing really well

Billie Piper, who has been at the centre of speculation that she is not well enough to appear on stage in the West End, has come out fighting, saying: "I'm doing really well."

The 24-year-old Doctor Who star has faced rumours that she could not cope with the emotionally demanding role in Treats.

She collapsed shortly before going on stage for a preview performance last week. She has also been spotted crying at a café close to her north London home and being comforted by ex-husband Chris Evans.

Last night Evans was in the audience at the Garrick Theatre to see Piper in a preview before the official opening on Thursday.

As she left the stage door with boyfriend and co-star 28-year-old Laurence Fox, Piper told the Evening Standard: "I am doing really well. It is going well and I'm really pleased."

She thanked Evans for his support saying: "It was really good having Chris here - I could hear him laughing. Bless him for being supportive."

The former pop star missed the first preview night after she was taken to hospital nine days ago with an illness believed to be a recurrence of haemorrhaging cystitis.

The condition caused her to collapse in 2000 when the bladder infection-spread to her kidneys. She was also rumoured to be a "nervous wreck" over her demanding role in the Christopher Hamilton play, in which she plays a journalist torn between two men.

But after seeing her on stage, Evans was full of praise. As he left the theatre he said: "I thought Bill was brilliant. When she cried, I cried."

Producer Bill Kenwright, who last week took the unprecedented decision to postpone the official opening for a week to give Piper a chance to recover and prepare herself to face the critics, also praised her performance.