Shirley Temple Nursing Broken Arm On Her 80th Birthday

The veteran actress, who found fame starring in 1934 movie Bright Eyes when she was just six years old, was walking around her Woodside, California home in the dark when she fell and landed awkwardly.

Her injury has limited her from accepting visits from friends and family, so her birthday will be a rather subdued occasion.

She reveals "I broke my arm last week at my house. It hurts quite a bit."

"I'm spending my birthday quietly at home."

Joking about her mishap, she adds: "People should turn on the lights when they are walking around in the dark."

But her landmark age will not go completely unnoticed - Fox Home Entertainment, the video division of film studio 20th Century Fox, will release the sixth and final volume of a series of her movies to commemorate Temple's birthday.