Ian McKellen says Fat Suit saved his ribs during a nasty fall at a play in London

Ian McKellen says the painful fall that took him from a London theater to a hospital bed could have been much worse… if it weren’t for his fat suit!!!

Opening up about his nasty leak for the first time, the legendary actor tells Saga Magazine that he broke his wrist and chipped his vertebrae during the June incident… but his ribs were spared by his costume.

As we reported… Ian played John Falstaff in a West End production of “Player Kings” when he fell off the front of the stage during a fight scene and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Ian says he used a fat suit to play Falstaff and the extra cushion softened the landing when he fell… sparing his ribs and other joints.

The 85-year-old says his neck and wrist still haven’t healed, and these days he doesn’t leave his house in case “someone bumps into me.”

Ian says his foot got stuck in a chair on stage and as he tried to shake free he kept sliding over other props and ended up landing on someone’s lap in the front row!!!