Jonathan Rhys Meyers hospitalized briefly

Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who won a Golden Globe as the title star of the 2005 miniseries "Elvis" and was nominated for another for the Showtime series "The Tudors," was taken by paramedics to a central London hospital Tuesday evening in what initial reports erroneously called a suicide attempt.

A Scotland Yard spokesman told the British newspaper The Sun Thursday that, "Officers were called by London Ambulance Service following reports of a man refusing treatment. The man was taken to hospital."

The paper said paramedics had responded to a 999 call -- the British equivalent of 911. They arrived at 7:45 p.m. and found Rhys Meyers, 33, slumped on the floor. He reportedly refused treatment at the scene for more than 30 minutes.

A source close to Rhys Meyers told Newsday Thursday there had been no suicide attempt but a relapse in his sobriety. The actor was briefly hospitalized and then released, he said.

Rhys Meyers, who has spoken of his alcoholism, had checked himself into a South Africa rehab facility this past spring, his fifth known attempt at rehab for alcohol abuse.

The actor and former Hugo Boss model, who owns homes in London, Los Angeles, Monaco and his native Dublin, saw his drinking problem worsen after his mother died in 2007, said the British paper the Daily Mail.

The paper also reported that Rhys Meyers' seven-year relationship with heiress Reena Hammer had become shaky.

Rhys Meyers was discharged in the early hours of Wednesday morning, reported The Sun, to whom he later said, "No comment."