SHIRLEY BASSEY - DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY PULLS OUT OF MANDELA CONCERT

Dame Shirley Bassey has withdrawn from the bill for a charity concert in honour of Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.

The Diamonds Are Forever star was admitted to hospital in Monaco last month, where she now lives, after calling her doctor in the middle of the night, but had been expected to recover from a emergency operation to relieve stomach complications.

However, the 71-year-old has been advised by her doctors to avoid travelling doctors and has been forced to pull of the show in London's Hyde Park.

Her spokesman Paul Carey said: "The dame is hugely disappointed and was looking forward to the show immensely.

"On the advice of her surgeon, Dame Shirley Bassey will now not be able to perform as scheduled at the Nelson Mandela 46664 concert.

"Dame Shirley has been advised not to travel at the present time, so as to aid her continued full recovery following surgery last month."

The Tiger Bay, Cardiff native performed on the Pyramid stage at last year's Glastonbury festival wearing diamond-encrusted wellington boots.

Having made her chart debut in 1956, Dame Shirley went on to record the theme tunes for three James Bond films, Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker.

After recording a remix of History Repeating with the dance duo Propellerheads in 1997, Dame Shirley won a new generation of fans.