Daytime TV host Rosie O'Donnell bowed out of her hit United States show with a song, a dance and a message from Tom Cruise on Wednesday.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show challenged the dominance of Oprah when it started six years ago, but ratings have fallen and she says she is leaving to spend more time with her family.

On the final show she showed a clip of a man in the distance with a lawnmower, getting gradually closer, until it became clear that it was Tom Cruise.

A long-running joke was that she had a crush on Cruise - and when she came out as a lesbian she said it was the kind of crush where she wanted the star to mow her lawn and serve her lemonade.

Enthusiasm

"Rosie, I cut your lawn," Cruise said, carrying a drink. "Here's your lemonade."

O'Donnell, known as the Queen of Nice, won fans with her enthusiasm and encyclopaedic knowledge of pop culture, and recently won her sixth Daytime Emmy.

Her final show began with the host singing "And now it's time to say goodbye" to the tune of Lullaby of Broadway.

That was followed by a song and dance to the tune of Hello Dolly.

Presents

She was joined by Broadway stars Nathan Lane and Christine Ebersole, who serenaded O'Donnell with a version of My Funny Valentine.

A goodie bag containing a camera and digital video recorder was given to every member of the audience, and she gave two Emmys to crew members, and told them she was also giving them a car and a boat.

Ratings for all daytime talk shows have fallen, and O'Donnell's have declined by 47% since she began in 1996.