Hollywood actress Charlize Theron spent four nights in a Los Angeles hospital last week after contracting a painful stomach virus, according to a tabloid report.

The Hancock star is alleged to have suffered severe abdominal pains, which she attributed to food poisoning.

But when the sharp stomach pangs failed to go away, her boyfriend Stuart Townsend took her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to seek treatment.

According to the National Enquirer, doctors ran a series of tests on Theron and diagnosed her with a serious virus, thought to have been contracted during her travels overseas.

And Townsend was left shaken by Theron's health scare, reportedly telling pals, "I was scared to death. I had no idea what was happening to her, but this is a woman who never complains, so I knew it had to be serious."

The publication claims the actress was discharged from hospital after being given a series of antibiotics and is now back to full health.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)