Kathleen Turner looked frail as she made a rare public outing in NYC this week – months after her failing health caused her to drop out of a play.

The Body Heat and Romancing The Stone star, 70, looked shaky as she leaned on a walker after stepping away from the spotlight.

For the trip, Turner wore a long, dark overcoat, over a blue sweater, black pants, and black sneakers, as she made her way to an awaiting vehicle with the help of two people.

The Academy Award nominee has been open about her struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects the joints and organs, which was diagnosed during the peak of her career in the early 1990s.

Last summer, after gravitating her attention more to theatre, Turner fell ill on stage during the production of A Little Night Music at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, and had to be replaced in the role of Madame Armfeldt, per MSN.

A spokesperson for the theater said the actress left the stage during the matinee performance – with guests claiming the screen legend ‘forgot some of her lines’ and was ‘slurring her words’ before abruptly leaving.

Kathleen Turner, 70, looked shaky during a rare public outing in Downtown New York City on Tuesday, when she was seen using a walker to get to an awaiting vehicle

The one-time A-list actress has sparked concern over her health since abruptly leaving the stage during a performance of a play after falling ill last summer

Turner would ultimately miss the final two shows. 

In the proceeding years, her career as a leading lady went into a steep decline and she was seen in fewer and fewer very successful films. 

After the illness had drastically altered her life and her appearance, caused by medications and chemotherapy, Turner turned to alcohol as a way to ease the pain, but maintained she was careful never to drink while working, according to The Guardian.

Over time, the drinking eventually became a real problem, prompting her to check herself into a rehabilitation center to nip the issue in the bud.

‘It was incredibly stupid. I had this thing in my head where I thought: “I’m not taking pain pills – they are addictive and dangerous.” But it was OK to have that second or third vodka,’ she confessed.

But ultimately, she had a sudden moment of clarity, revealing, ‘I thought: “I am wasting my entire day with my daughter, with my husband, because I’d close myself down and drink.”‘

Despite drug therapy to help her rheumatoid arthritis, the disease progressed for about eight years. 

Then, thanks to newly available treatments, it went into remission, opening up her to be able to start acting again on a regular basis in film and television.

Turner got an Oscar nomination for Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), years before her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis began to have an effect on her life and career

Last summer, after gravitating her attention more to theatre, Turner fell ill on stage during the production of A Little Night Music at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, and had to be replaced 

The Oscar-nominated actress has been open about her struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects the joints and organs, since the 1990s

For the trip, Turner wore a long, dark overcoat, over a blue sweater, black pants, and black sneakers, as she made her way to an awaiting vehicle with the help of two people

Moat recently, the actress fell ill on stage during the production of A Little Night Music at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, and had to be replaced 

Turner made her film debut in erotic thriller film Body Heat (1981) alongside William Hurt

The Hollywood legend garnered critical acclaim for her performances in film, that dates back to her debut in Body Heat (1981), along with Romancing The Stone (1984), Prizzi’s Honor (9185), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), which earned her Oscar nomination and War Of The Roses (1989). 

Her extensive film credits also include The Man With Two Brains, Jewel Of The Nile (1985), The Accidental Tourist, V.I. Warshawski (1991), Naked In New York (1993), Serial Mom (1994), Moonlight And Valentino (1995), The Real Blonde (1997), The Virgin Suicides (1999), and Dumb and Dumber To (2014).

She has also performed in such popular TV series as The Simpsons (1994), Friends (2001), Law & Order (2006), Nip/Tuck (2006), Californication (2009), Family Guy (2017), and The Kominsky Method (2019 and 2021).

Along with her theatrical work, most recently she starred in the satirical political drama series White House Plumbers (2023) with Woody Harrelson and Justin Theorux.