LONDON  - Britain was forced Friday to retract a statement of condolence for former Philippines president Corazon Aquino, following false reports that the ailing 76-year-old had died.

Aquino, who is suffering from colon cancer, is in hospital in "serious condition", her spokeswoman Lourdes Siytangco said in a statement, refuting the rumours that had quickly spread through the Philippines.

The statement from the British embassy in Manila quoted outgoing junior Foreign Office minister Lord Mark Malloch Brown as saying: "I received the news of Corazon Aquino's death with great sadness."

Malloch Brown, who advised Aquino during her campaign for office, said working with her was "one of my life's greatest lessons in courage, leadership, the art of politics and humanity."

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham also praised Aquino's "grace, charisma and compassion. The Philippines has lost a wonderful leader who is widely admired in Britain for her courage and inspiration."

But less than an hour later, the embassy withdraw the statement, saying: "Our deepest apologies, it appears the information we received was premature. Thank you very much for your understanding."

A Foreign Office spokesman in London told AFP: "I believe it (was based on) initial reporting locally, which then turned out to be incorrect. As soon as we found out we sent out a retraction."

Aquino, the widow of assassinated opposition leader Benigno 'Ninoy" Aquino, was propelled into the spotlight in 1986 when she headed a massive "people power" movement that toppled late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The then-housewife who reluctantly became president went on to restore democracy and rewrite the country's constitution.

A spokeswoman for the former president's family said earlier this week that Aquino had given up all medical intervention including chemotherapy and was leaving her fate to God.