Since the death of his actress wife Natasha Richardson in a skiing accident last year Liam Neeson has immersed himself in work, finding some sort of comfort in his hectic schedule. Despite his heartache the hard-working Ballymena man saw through the various movie commitments he had made prior to the accident even lining up a few new projects.

But it seems his overwhelming grief combined with a dizzying timetable  has finally caught up with the father-of-two. Neeson has dropped out of a major new movie starring Jeremy Irons about the saint who brought Christianity to Scotland, citing his anguish following his wife's death after an accident in Canada last March.

Stone, who directed Shadowlands and The Mirror Crack'd, said that he had given Neeson a few months to consider his position after Richardson's death. But he said Neeson had decided not to go ahead with the role. "It has been a difficult time for Liam," said Stone.

"I think he would have been great in the film. We wanted him to play the part of King Aidan, who has fiery clashes with Columba (Irons). It would have been great to see him alongside Jeremy.

"The script was with him for several months and I understand he loved it. He has decided not to go ahead, which is a pity, but the decision was made after what has been a difficult time for him and I respect the circumstances. He is a truly great actor."

Editor: Totally understandable - there will be plenty more film roles but only one Natasha.