Colin Farrell has sparked fears for his health after he appeared at a press conference looking alarmingly gaunt - but he insists he's merely shedding weight for a film role.

 Farrell, 31, shocked reporters when he showed up to promote his upcoming movie Triage - in which he plays a war reporter in 1990s Bosnia - during a trip to Spain.

 He tells People.com, "I lost weight because my role demanded it. It was all very healthy."

 The Irish actor did not elaborate as to how he lost the weight, instead quoting a line from the Scott Anderson novel on which the movie is based: "He went to the bathroom to shave. Once his beard was gone, he saw that his face had become drawn. He pressed at the hollows beneath his eyes, the pronounced
nubs of his cheek bones."

 But this is not the first time Farrell's appearance has prompted speculation of ill-health.

The actor was released from a rehab facility in January 2006 after a spokesperson for the actor confirmed his voluntarily admittance to the programme in December 2005 to seek treatment for his use of recreational drugs and painkillers.