Rosamund Pike: I Nearly Quit Gone Girl

Rosamund Pike has revealed that she nearly wasn't the star of hotly anticipated new movie Gone Girl - thanks to illness.

The British actress plays Amy - a woman who mysteriously disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary to husband Nick, played by Ben Affleck.

And the spotlight of suspicion falls on him as more facts emerge in the hours and days following her vanishing.

Recalling her illness, 35-year-old Pike explained that she had a 103 degree fever.

She told Variety: "I threw up three times. My body was going through a lot of changes.

"There were frequent times when I'd just go home and say, 'I'm going to give up'."

And things didn't get much better when the cameras were rolling, due to the physical nature of the role.

"I think probably around take 18 of getting my head bashed against the wall, I literally saw stars."

Adapted from Gillian Flynn's best-selling novel, the movie is directed by David Fincher and hits UK cinemas tomorrow.