Paul Nicholls is "lucky to be alive" after smashing his leg following a fall from a Thai jungle waterfall which left him trapped for three days.

The 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' actor is "seriously ill" after he was found semi-conscious and with hypothermia, and he requires a "complete reconstruction" of his knee.

He was lucky to be discovered by locals in a rock pool at the Khun Si Falls on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand.

He told The Sun newspaper: "I am lucky to be alive.

"I had a phone with me but I fell from such a height into the water it was unretrievable.

"It took such a long time to find me. It's an understatement to say it wasn't a great situation. It wasn't that I was lost.

"The problem was I couldn't move to get out of there.

"I've got a broken leg and I'm missing a kneecap. It needs complete reconstruction."

Paul didn't eat for three days while he was trapped and was fortunate to be discovered by a local from a nearby village who spotted his rented motorbike in the jungle which he had hired to ride to the falls.

It took two hours to take the British actor to nearby International Koh Samui Hospital but he had to transfer to a different hospital after he was told it would cost £90,000 to treat him - £13,000 a night.

A source close to 38-year-old star - who flew to Thailand on holiday last week - told the publication: "He was out there by himself because he was between filming.

"He needs surgery. But it's going to cost £90,000 for him to have it in Thailand.

"The British Embassy want to fly him back here. They need to fly him to the mainland first to a proper hospital and then decide whether to bring him back to the UK or do the surgery there."

It is not known why Paul fell but some local sources claimed he may have been attempting to take a selfie.