LONDON - US lifestyle guru Martha Stewart has been denied a visa to visit Britain because she has served a prison sentence for lying to US investigators about a stock deal, a report said Saturday.

Stewart had been planning to come to Britain in the next few days to speak at the Royal Academy in London and hold meetings with fashion designers and figures in the leisure industry.

The UK Border Agency does not comment on individual cases, but the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on its website that 66-year-old Stewart had been informed she would not be issued a visa because of her past conviction.A spokesperson for Stewart quoted by the Daily Telegraph said: "Martha loves England and hopes this can be resolved and that she will be able to visit soon."

It was unclear whether Stewart was the victim of a blanket rule imposed by the agency.

She served five months in prison in 2004 for lying to federal agents investigating the sale of shares shortly before they plummeted in value.

Stewart is the head of a multi-million-dollar business empire built on recipes and home accessories and has been described as one of the most influential Americans of her generation. - AFP/vm