The Piano star Anna Paquin walked the red carpet of her latest film premiere with a cane after a mystery illness has seen stricken for two "difficult" years.
She was photographed in New York for the premiere A Bit of Light, which is directed by her husband and True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer.
While details of the illness were not revealed, Paquin told US publication People magazine the past couple of years "haven't been easy".
She revealed the illness had left her fighting some mobility issues that saw her need to rely on a cane and also that she had had some speech issues as well.
A spokesperson for Paquin later told People she was hopefully expected to make a full recovery but didn't expand any further on the ailment.
A Bit of Light stars Paquin as an alcoholic mother who loses custody of her children and has to pick up the pieces of her broken life while reconciling with her past.
She also said on the red carpet that she had enjoyed her chance to go back to her cinematic roots.
"My first love was independent filmmaking. That's how I entered the film industry. I was working with people who were all about telling stories and telling them with integrity and truth."
There is no New Zealand date yet for a release.
