Swank reveals near-death training ordeal

Hilary Swank was so desperate to play a female boxer in Clint Eastwood's new movie, she refused to tell the director when his gruelling training regime almost killed her.

The Oscar-winning actress was determined to prove she could take the lead in Million Dollar Baby, which Eastwood stars in and directs - despite the veteran Hollywood star's reluctance to sign her up.

Swank managed to persuade Eastwood she was the only actress for the part, and subsequently threw herself into a demanding routine to pile on pounds of bulging muscle.

However, svelte Swank developed potentially fatal blood poisoning from infected blisters on the balls of her feet caused by the training sessions - but she was determined to keep the terrifying news from Eastwood.

She says: "The injection started spreading up my leg and the doctor told me that if it reached my heart that would be it. I was in a bad way. It got to the point where I couldn't walk.

"I first got the infection when I popped the blisters in the bathtub. The poison got into my bloodstream and I noticed these red streak marks going up my leg as it spread. I didn't pop them after that."

But rather than panic about the condition and inform Eastwood, Swank gave her legs a rest - and focused on beefing up her arms.