Dame Elizabeth Taylor is refusing to undergo any more surgery.

The 78-year-old screen legend - who has had numerous operations in the past 25 years for several health problems - has decided she doesn't want to go under the knife to receive treatment for Scoliosis, a painful curvature of the spine.

The condition has left her wheelchair-bound and with crippling neck pain, but after three visits to a Los Angeles hospital this year she has decided enough is enough.

A source close to the star is quoted as saying: "I won't go so far as to say she has given up but she is adamant she can't face another operation. Some mornings her neck is in such acute pain she is barely able to lift her head.

"She spends most of the day sitting in a chair with her head slumped on her shoulder. It's the only position in which she feels anything like comfortable."

Over the years Taylor has had both her hips replaced, several operations on her back, beaten a brain tumour, undergone surgery to treat congestive heart failure, had a stroke and has suffered from diabetes, pneumonia, osteoporosis and skin cancer.

The 'Cleopatra' star - who has been married eight times - took to her twitter page last year to tell her fans how her open heart surgery went.

She wrote at the time: "Dear Friends, My heart procedure went off perfectly. It's like having a brand new ticker. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes... I know they all helped. Love you, Elizabeth (sic)."