MARTHA STEWART - STEWART PLAYS DOWN NEWMAN CANCER REPORTS

STEWART PLAYS DOWN NEWMAN CANCER REPORTS

Lifestyle queen MARTHA STEWART has dismissed talk of actor PAUL NEWMAN's deteriorating health, claiming he is "full of vim and vigor".
A Los Angeles Times article at the beginning of the week (beg09Jun08) reported the 83-year-old star had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, prompting a media frenzy about Newman's health.
The actor and his representatives have been playing down cancer reports since the beginning of the year (08), when a U.S. tabloid claimed Newman had just six months to live - but his spokesman insists the star is "doing fine".
And Stewart, who sparked fresh fears for Newman this week when she posted a photo of the star on her blog looking frail and gaunt, is doing her best to play down speculation about her pal.
Writing on her website, she says: "He is still full of vim and vigor, he is still Cool Hand Luke to me, and of course, my Butch Cassidy!"