Dead? Not me, says Jean Marsh

It was Mark Twain who first said: "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." Now veteran actress Jean Marsh can say it, too.

The Upstairs, Downstairs star was horrified to read reports of her death recently -- and the false story prompted a flurry of phone calls from concerned friends and family. It also led to a deluge of tributes from fans and 77-year-old Marsh admits she was touched by the messages.

She told the Daily Mail: "It was reported that I had been cremated and everything had been kept secret so my family could grieve in private.

"I had lots of people calling up to check if I was OK. It was nice to see so many kind obituaries... one fan wrote: 'Jean Marsh is dead. Oh s**t.' I thought that was hilarious. I might even have it on my gravestone -- but not for a while yet."