diff --git a/Classes/PHPExcel/Reader/Excel2003XML.php b/Classes/PHPExcel/Reader/Excel2003XML.php
index 17472d04..6f3a4efd 100644
--- a/Classes/PHPExcel/Reader/Excel2003XML.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPExcel/Reader/Excel2003XML.php
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ class PHPExcel_Reader_Excel2003XML extends PHPExcel_Reader_Abstract implements P
 
 		$worksheetNames = array();
 
-		$xml = simplexml_load_file($pFilename, 'SimpleXMLElement', PHPExcel_Settings::getLibXmlLoaderOptions());
+		$xml = simplexml_load_string(file_get_contents($pFilename), 'SimpleXMLElement', PHPExcel_Settings::getLibXmlLoaderOptions());
 		$namespaces = $xml->getNamespaces(true);
 
 		$xml_ss = $xml->children($namespaces['ss']);
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ class PHPExcel_Reader_Excel2003XML extends PHPExcel_Reader_Abstract implements P
 
 		$worksheetInfo = array();
 
-		$xml = simplexml_load_file($pFilename, 'SimpleXMLElement', PHPExcel_Settings::getLibXmlLoaderOptions());
+		$xml = simplexml_load_string(file_get_contents($pFilename), 'SimpleXMLElement', PHPExcel_Settings::getLibXmlLoaderOptions());
 		$namespaces = $xml->getNamespaces(true);
 
 		$worksheetID = 1;
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ class PHPExcel_Reader_Excel2003XML extends PHPExcel_Reader_Abstract implements P
 			throw new PHPExcel_Reader_Exception($pFilename . " is an Invalid Spreadsheet file.");
 		}
 
-		$xml = simplexml_load_file($pFilename, 'SimpleXMLElement', PHPExcel_Settings::getLibXmlLoaderOptions());
+		$xml = simplexml_load_string(file_get_contents($pFilename), 'SimpleXMLElement', PHPExcel_Settings::getLibXmlLoaderOptions());
 		$namespaces = $xml->getNamespaces(true);
 
 		$docProps = $objPHPExcel->getProperties();