Wandering Anne Heche hospitalized

From staff and wire reports

LOS ANGELES -- Anne Heche was hospitalized after knocking on the front door of a rural California home and making strange statements to its residents, authorities said.

The 31-year-old actress, who appeared shaken and confused when she wandered up to the home Saturday, was taken to University Medical Center, said Lt. Merrill Wright of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Mary Lisa Russell, a spokeswoman for University Medical Center, said no one by Heche's name was at the hospital but refused to say whether she had checked in under another name.

The incident occurred as Heche and longtime partner Ellen DeGeneres announced they were splitting up.

"Unfortunately, Ellen and Anne have decided to end their relationship," Heche's manager Lauren Lloyd said in a statement. "It is an amicable parting; they value the 3 1/2 years they spent together. We hope everyone will respect their privacy through this difficult time."

Heche recently directed DeGeneres, 43, and Sharon Stone in a segment of the HBO film, "If These Walls Could Talk II," which featured a lesbian couple trying to have a baby. Heche also filmed a standup comedy tour by DeGeneres that culminated with an HBO cable special.

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