Joanna Lumley was ambushed by armed bandits while filming a new ITV travel series.
The 73-year-old Ab Fab actress was being driven through a mountain range in Haiti when she and her camera crew were stopped by a gang.
They ordered them to hand over their cash or face possible death.
Joanna said: “Suddenly there was a blockage across the road. They’d put branches down. Luckily, we had two big bodyguards who got out and said, ‘Come on guys, clear this away.’
“And they went, ‘No, we want your money or your life.’ Sometimes they dig trenches, pour oil in and set fire to it, then come with guns and take your wallets.”
The 73-year-old Ab Fab actress was being driven through a mountain range in Haiti when she and her camera crew were stopped by a gang (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The bandits backed down thanks to Joanne’s minders and the scare did not put her off carrying on with filming. She said: “I’m not an afraid kind of person.”
The incident is not featured in her show Hidden Caribbean: Havana To Haiti, which starts on ITV next Monday at 9pm.
But Joanna says when they reached Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, things did not improve much. She added: “We arrived there on the day of a riot, so we had to have a police escort to the hotel.
“Riots break out like wildfires across the country and if you’re in that place, you’re stuck. It’s a completely broken country.
“It’s totally lawless. You wouldn’t leave your hotel at night there.”
An ITV spokeswoman said: “A full risk assessment was carried out before filming in Haiti and Joanna was accompanied by the appropriate level of security.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
