Kent-born actor Orlando Bloom says he "narrowly escaped death" after suffering a major fall.

The star of Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, who grew up in Canterbury, has this week posted a photograph of himself in a back brace as he recovered from the incident in 1998.

The 44-year-old says he now is "grateful everyday" for his limbs.

"That's me in my back brace circa 1998 about three months after I fell three floors and crushed my spine, narrowly escaping death and paralysis," he said on Instagram.

"(I am) grateful everyday for my limbs that allow me to push my limits and live life on my edge (safer now)."

His fiancee, the singer Katy Perry, responded to the post by saying: "I love you."

The actor was climbing up to a roof terrace when the drainpipe he was holding onto collapsed.

Mr Bloom found fame as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings before appearing in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

He received an honorary degree from the University of Kent at Canterbury Cathedral in 2010.

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