Baywatch star Donna D'Errico left bloody and bruised after 'major fall' as she searched for Noah's Ark in Turkey

Former Baywatch star Donna D'Errico has been left battered and bruised following a dangerous fall while hiking in Turkey.

The onetime Playboy Playmate Of The Month was fulfilling a lifelong dream to hunt for Noah's Ark on Mount Arat when she suffered a 'major fall'.

But despite her injuries the 44-year-old has vowed to complete the final two days of her trip.

It isn't the first problem she's encountered, with D'Errico warned she was in 'serious danger' from Kurdistani terrorist group the PKK at one point.

Her hunt for Noah's Ark has seen the actress leave her two children in America to head to 'an extremely dangerous' part of the mountain.

She explained in an interview last year that she had always held a dream of discovering the ark.

'This has been a dream of mine since I was 9 or 10,' D'Errico told AOL News. 'I went to Catholic school and was fascinated by Noah's ark. I would do class projects based on the ark.'

And after years of study she had pinpointed the likely locations for the mythical boat.

'I've been studying this for years and know where the sightings have been,' she said.

'According to my research, the ark lays broken into at least two, but most likely three, pieces.

'I believe that one of those pieces is in the uppermost Ahora Gorge area, an extremely dangerous area to climb and explore.'

She has raised funds for her trip on her website, after deciding to make the trip following a brush with death when she fell seriously ill with an MRSA infection.

'The doctors told me afterwards that I was very close to death when I came in," she explained. And she decided to do something for herself.

'I have spent a lot of my life living for a lot of other people, whether it be because of my job or my family,' she said.

'My kids are almost grown up and I have fulfilled one dream of coming to Hollywood to become an actress. Now it's time to fulfill another.'

Single mother D'Errico's children had expressed worries about her trip, with her son Rhyan, 18, already having lost a parent with the death of his father.

'He knows the climb can be dangerous - especially when you're standing on a glacier,' said D'Errico.

And her trip has not been without incident, with D'Errico asking her fans to pray for her.

She blogged: 'Early this morning I was awakened by one of our Kurdish guides saying that we had to leave the mountain immediately because there was trouble with the PKK and the Turkish Military on the mountain and that we were in serious danger.'

MailOnline