How Reeve was paralysed

Christopher Reeve could have died in May 1995 when he suffered terrible spinal injuries after falling from a horse.

But instead he transformed himself from a Hollywood superstar to a tireless campaigner for research into cures for spinal injuries.

Only last week doctors in London announced they were on the verge of a new technique that could repair damage to the spinal cord.

University College London scientists have developed a technique to implant cells to grow a bridge between the severed ends of the spinal cord and are working towards carrying out trials on patients.

Reeve himself was paying close attention to the development which is described as a "startling discovery" by experts in the spinal injury field.

Today, leading scientists called for the research he began to continue.

Professor Colin Blakemore of the Medical Research Council said: "Reeve was known to all as a courageous man. The techniques we are developing take a long time, but it takes people like Christopher Reeve to advance this kind of research."