Stone in love with God; I'VE GIVEN UP MY LIFE TO HIM, SAYS STAR

HOLLYWOOD sex symbol Sharon Stone has announced that she is devoting her life to God.

"I've totally given it up to him," said the 41-year-old Basic Instinct star. "And I know that's why I'm at peace. "Whatever God may be to each person, the bottom line is that God is love."

Sharon, a practising Buddhist, said that she had "always been deeply spiritual, but I found that didn't get me anywhere in Hollywood".

She admits that it took the near death of her husband, San Francisco newspaper chief Phil Bronstein, who she married last year, to re-awaken her faith.

"I have never prayed so hard as when Phil was in hospital," she said. "I found I couldn't face the thought of a future without him.

"There's nothing like a glimpse of your own mortality, or that of someone you love, to make you count your blessings."

Bronstein was admitted to hospital in August with heart pains and a blocked artery. "My husband is so protective of me, so the situation was reversed - I was the one doing the protecting," said Sharon. "I'm delighted to say he's made a full recovery."

Sharon, currently starring alongside Jeff Bridges and Andie Macdowell in The Muse, added: "Probably to a lot of people I'm extremely religious. I believe in God, but my practice is Buddhism. I think if people perceive me as having a relationship with God, they would imagine me being really boring and square and judge-mental, so it's something I have deliberately down-played.

"But you know the expression, 'Life begins at 40!' You get to a certain point where you live your life as who you are. Where at the end of the day you care that you stood your ground and did the things that have value to you."

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