Kim Cattrall withdraws from London play Linda due to illness
Canadian actress had been set for Royal Court Theatre play next week
Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall has withdrawn from playing the title role in Linda on the London stage due to an unspecified health problem.
She had been set to star in the production at the Royal Court Theatre starting Nov. 26 but will be replaced by Noma Dumezweni.
Cattrall said in a statement Thursday evening that "with great sadness" she is following the advice of her doctors. She thanked the theatre for allowing her to put her health first.
Royal Court artistic director Vicky Featherstone said the theatre was "deeply sorry that Kim is unable to continue with the production," but "extremely grateful" that Dumezweni could step in.
"We are delighted that in spite of these difficulties Penelope Skinner's important play can open to our audiences with minimal disruption."
Skinner's play tackles aging in its story of an award-winning career woman, mother and wife whose seemingly perfect life starts to unravel.
The 59-year-old Cattrall, born in the U.K. and raised in British Columbia, is best known for her portrayal of the lusty Samantha in the hit Sex and the City series on HBO.
She currently stars in the International Emmy-nominated Canadian TV series Sensitive Skin and, in recent years, has appeared onstage in Toronto, New York and London in plays such as Sweet Bird of Youth and Private Lives.