Idris Elba 'nearly lost his life' after attempting to stop a man harassing his girlfriend

Idris Elba has claimed his life was in danger when he was threatened at gunpoint in an altercation in the US.

The Hackney-born actor says that the incident occurred when he stepped in to stop a man assaulting his girlfriend.

The star made the shocking revelation during a recent appearance on the SmartLess podcast.

Today Show

Elba said: "I nearly lost my f***ing life, after attempting to stop a man threatening his girlfriend outside a club.

"A guy (was) whaling on his missus, screaming in her face, 'I’ll f***ing kill you,' and so on. I come round and I go 'Look how beautiful she is. Why would you talk to this beautiful princess like that?'

"He pulled out a gun, stuck it right in my face, and goes, 'You talking about my girl?'

"He thought I was trying to hit on her. I remember thinking, 'Don’t play negotiations like that… Consequences, man.'"

Fortunately, Elba managed to survive this hair-raising encounter.

During his time on the podcast, he also opened up about his friendship with Prince Harry.

ITV

Elba said: "I was DJ-ing in all these clubs where Harry would show up and he was like "Yo!" and I'm like 'Yo!' And then at one point he was like, 'Listen man, I'm getting married.' I was like, 'Yo! That's amazing.'

"He goes, 'I want you to DJ.' Harry went on to make a request. 'I was like, 'I don't do requests!'"

When Harry and Meghan tied the knot in May 2018, Elba would be in attendance - and DJ'd at the reception in Frogmore House.

Years later, Elba revealed who the best dancer at the shin dig was.

He said: "I think Meghan was the one that was really like letting it go. You know, she was real… She just had a lot of fun. It was her wedding. So she had the greatest time."

When he was first approached about the gig, Elba thought it was a joke.

Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres in 2018, the 50-year-old said: "So Harry and I have hung out a couple of times through his dad’s [Prince Charles] charity – The Prince’s Trust – which helped me out when I was a young actor.

"Harry came to a couple of parties that I DJed and he was like, 'What are you doing on [May 19]?'

"I told him nothing and then he asked if I would DJ at his wedding... I was like is this a joke?'

He added: "That was an incredible experience. I was curating the music for that night, so it was a lot of pressure, but it was great. A vibe."