A Hollywood actor has taken an 89-year-old woman who suffers from leukaemia into his home after her she spent two months in hospital battling the disease.

Norma Cook describes Chris Salvatore as "the grandson she never had", while the 31-year-old said his new housemate is "friendly but sassy".

The pair lived opposite each other in West Hollywood for a number of years but it was only after Ms Cook's hospital stay that Mr Salvatore invited her to live with him, NBC's TODAY reported.

Doctors had said Ms Cook could not move home without round-the-clock care.

So Mr Salvatore, who is also a singer songwriter and gay rights activist, raised $50,000 (£40,000) through an online appeal.

But as her savings dwindled he said it made sense for her to move in.

"The only other option was for her to go into a facility. I just couldn't do that to someone who is like my own grandmother," he told TODAY.

Nurses and doctors had told him that it would be a "miracle" if she survived past the Christmas period, "so the fact that she's still thriving is just a really great thing."

Ms Cook added that they "mostly talk and drink Champagne and eat peanuts."