Actress Leslie Ash has won £5 million in compensation from the hospital where she contracted a superbug.

The Men Behaving Badly star's lawyer said Leslie was "delighted" after reaching an out-of-court settlement with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, three months before the case was due in court.

The NHS compensation body said the record-breaking award is so high because of the amount Leslie was earning at the time she fell ill and takes into account how much she might have earned in the future.

The Chelsea and Westminster have apologised to the actress and said it has since reviewed its procedures.

Lawyer Janice Gardner said: "I think she is delighted that we could reach an amicable settlement.

"Nobody really wants to go to court. It would have been hard going for her. In a case when you have got serious injuries you have to be reasonably satisfied that the injuries have settled before you can settle the claim."

Leslie, who is married to retired footballer Lee Chapman, went to hospital to be treated for a punctured lung and two cracked ribs in an accident at home.

But after she was admitted to the hospital in April 2004 she became dangerously ill and now walks with a stick.

A spokesman for the Chelsea and Westminster said: "We wish to apologise to Mrs Chapman for the shortcomings in her care when she was a patient at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

"We sincerely regret the injuries that she sustained as a result of these failings.

"The trust carried out a full review of all relevant procedures in this case to learn from its mistakes and to improve patient care.

"As a direct result, the trust updated its guidelines and provided nurses with additional training on monitoring infection."

NHS Litigation Authority chief executive Steve Walker confirmed the payout sets a record for compensation following a hospital-acquired infection.

He said: "It's the highest we have ever paid out arising from a hospital acquired infection.

"It's high because she was earning a lot of money before this happened.

"Most of the value of the award is either past loss of earnings or prospective future loss of earnings."

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