Joanna Lumley was ambushed by a gang who threatened her life while filming her new documentary in Haiti.
The Absolutely Fabulous star and her camera crew found themselves surrounded while driving in the mountains as they made Joanna Lumley’s Hidden Caribbean: Havana To Haiti for ITV.
Speaking to Radio Times about the terrifying incident, Joanna recalled: “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 they come with guns and take your wallets.”
The crew also arrived in the country’s capital on the day of a riot.
Joanna said: “Port-au-Prince is an absolute catastrophe. 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. All the aid workers in Port-au-Prince don’t go to the parts we went to because they’re no-go areas.”
However, she said she never considered going home, adding: “I’m not really an afraid kind of person.
“If you look timid, people and animals pick it up very fast. In Haiti, people are so poor and living in such squalor, but if you say ‘Bonjour’ and put your hand out, you’ve made friends immediately.”
The full interview with Joanna appears in this week’s Radio Times, on sale now. Joanna Lumley’s Hidden Caribbean: Havana To Haiti airs on ITV next Monday.
