THE LATE SHOW - LATE SHOW AXED AFTER STUNT GOES WRONG

Late night American chat show THE LATE SHOW was pulled from the air last night (05FEB04) after snowboarder TARA DAKIDES misjudged a stunt jump on the programme and landed on her back in the street.

Late Show host DAVID LETTERMAN and CBS bosses immediately stopped the taping of the show and aired a pre-Christmas (03) episode, featuring an interview with JULIA ROBERTS, instead.

California winter sports champion Dakides, 29, is credited with being the world's best female snowboarder. She was taken to hospital immediately after her fall onto concrete, and was relieved to hear she hadn't broken any bones.

Her worried mother, PATTY BUXTON, who had hoped to watch her daughter on the show last night from her home in California, says, "It was just horrible but she's fine and looking forward to getting back to snowboarding."

Dakides is expected to appear on The Late Show on Monday night (09FEB04).