Antonio Banderas was rushed to hospital after suffering agonising pains in his chest on Thursday (26.01.17).

Antonio Banderas

Antonio Banderas

The 56-year-old actor was exercising when he suffered the health scare at his £2.4 million mansion in Cobham, Surrey, and was taken into St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey by paramedics.

Banderas - who lives in his five-bedroom abode with his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 37 - told The Sun newspaper he had experienced an "episode" and thanked the medics for their care.

Previously, the Hollywood star - whose 19-year marriage to actress Melanie Griffith ended in 2015 - revealed how much he loves living in his mansion in leafy Surrey.

He shared: "This house gives me the simplicity and freedom I need in my life at the moment.

"I find Surrey completely magical. I am not a party person anymore, so I have the space and peace to write and really get inside my own head - I am working on several of my own scripts.

"I go cycling in the woods and everyone in Cobham, Weybridge and Esther is incredibly friendly. Above all I am surrounded by nature. I love watching the deer and foxes that come to my garden."

The 'Mask of Zorro' actor also admitted his life has undergone a huge transformation since the collapse of his marriage to Melanie.

In addition to his acting career, Banderas has studied fashion at Central Saint Martins college in London and recently created his own menswear line.

Banderas admitted he has relished the opportunity to reinvent himself over the last couple of years.

He said: "My life changed very much during the last two years, personal reasons.

"The possibility of reinventing myself was there, and so I said, 'Probably this is the moment that I can do this.'"