Schwarzenegger in Calif. hospital for leg surgery

LOS ANGELES, Dec 26 (Reuters) California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger will undergo surgery today to repair the leg he broke during a skiing accident, his office said.

The 59-year-old former movie star, who broke his right femur while on holiday with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Saturday, is currently in an undisclosed California hospital awaiting the routine procedure, a statement said.

The surgery, which involves the insertion of orthopedic cables and screws, should last less than two hours, it added.

Schwarzenegger will be kept for observation for three days, and will use crutches during the eight-week recovery period, the statement said.

This was the governor's third medical incident in just over a year.

In January, he got 15 stitches to close a cut lip after colliding with a car while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Los Angeles.

Last December, Schwarzenegger was examined at the University of California-Davis Medical Center for stomach flu and a rapid heartbeat. He was back at work the next day. Schwarzenegger underwent heart surgery in 1997.

Reuters DKA DB1201