Calista cancels West End debut

Calista Flockhart has pulled out of making her West End debut because of her troubled relationship with boyfriend Harrison Ford. The actress was to have starred in a production of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie.

Ms Flockhart, an accomplished stage performer whose work on and off Broadway has won her much praise over the years, was to have played the title role - that of a woman who tries to keep unsavoury details about her work from the man who wants to marry her.

Calista did not want to be dealing with a relationship that's possibly headed for the rocks while trying to prepare for one of the most demanding roles in theatre. Ford is a much more complex man than the smooth, easy-going, tough-guy persona he projects on the big screen.

Those close to the play's producer, Sonia Friedman, said that it had not been possible for her to 'come to an agreement of terms' with Ms Flockhart's representatives. Several years ago, Natasha Richardson did the play with Liam Neeson at the Young Vic and then in New York.