Eminem's mother is so concerned about her son's health she is convinced the star is heading for an early grave.

The Slim Shady rapper - real name Marshall Bruce Mathers III - spent four days in hospital over the festive season suffering from heart problems arising from a bout of pneumonia.

And in her new book My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, Debbie Nelson fully describes her ongoing fears over the 35-year-old's failing health.

She writes, "I fear for him every waking moment. He's let his blond hair grow out so everything but the ends are dark. His face has broken out in pimples and he's put on so much weight that he's causing all sorts of other health problems for himself.

"Since childhood he's suffered bouts of pneumonia. He's always had throat infections and he's asthmatic. His diet can't help. I worry about his health all the time. He's always had high blood pressure and his cholesterol levels must be sky high. He orders fillet steak takeout from an expensive restaurant almost every evening."

Mathers became estranged from Nelson in 2001 after she filed a defamation lawsuit over the rapper's lyrics which accused her of living on welfare benefits and being addicted to drugs.