US actor Jerry Lewis has left hospital after a three-month stay to wean himself off steroids.

The 77-year-old had been taking the medication for a chronic lung problem, but it had caused him to gain a huge amount of weight.

He has now shed 50 pounds and plans to return to the Las Vegas casino where he had been a regular performer.

His publicist, Candi Cazau, said Lewis is "feeling great" and looking back to his old self.

She said he is now on a new diet and exercise routine since coming off the prescription drugs.

"He looks like Jerry Lewis," Ms Cazua added.

Lewis is best known for his comedy partnership with Dean Martin during the 1950s, before going on to star in films such as The Ladies Man and the original The Nutty Professor.

But in recent years his health has deteriorated and in 2001 he began taking steroids for pulmonary fibrosis.

Source: Press Release