Angelina Jolie has revealed that she was nearly abducted and held for ransom during a visit to an aid project as a UN Goodwill Ambassador.

She told the News of the World: “It was in a small village. I won’t say where, or with whom, but some gangsters planned to kidnap me and extort a massive ransom.”

“I was warned at the last minute, and managed to escape, luckily.”

She added that the experience - or the inherent danger of visiting wartorn spots around the world - hasn’t put her off wanting to help others: “”I don’t want to act like the Mother Teresa of Hollywood. But I want to help where there is poverty and destruction.”

“It became clear to me [several years ago] that I was an incredibly well-off star, and that I had to do something against the screaming injustice on this planet. Not just by giving speeches, I had to be actively involved. Since then I’ve travelled half the world. I want to see the people there up close. I don’t shut myself off in some luxurious hotel.”