Kathryn Thomas was once robbed by machete-wielding hallucinogenic nut eating maniac

Ms Thomas was producing the hugely popular programme at the time and had wanted to travel somewhere off the beaten track, a place people hadn’t explored.

“In that moment, I just went ‘this is where I am going to die,” Kathryn told Virgin TV’s Six O’Clock show.

Ms Thomas spent ten years hosting the popular destination show, visiting a total of 82 countries.

But it was the trip to Papua New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific which left the not-so-wonderful impression.

Ms Thomas and the crew were in an area they weren't supposed to be when a man holding a machete approached them.

Kathryn revealed that this man had eaten hallucinogenic nuts so she really did think she was going to die immediately.

"There are 800 different tribes in Papua New Guinea. And there are only two roads around the main island so you can't navigate around it easily,” she said.

"We had gone there for a couple of days up the river with the whole team of people to find the deserted gold mine.

"He comes out of the trees essentially and all of the crew had crossed a river to take a shot of me from the other side.

"I'm on my own and I just hear this scream and I look around and there's this guy with a spear and a machete.

"He's literally coming at me and in that moment I just went 'this is where I am going to die.'"

Kathryn said she froze on the spot and wonders now about how her body reacted to the danger.

"I still question myself about the reaction I had but I was literally frozen with fear.

"Eventually we had to give him all our money and watches and all our water,” Kathryn added.

Papua New Guinea has five pc of the world's biodiversity, even though it only covers one pc of Earth's total land area.

It has more than 20,000 plant species, 800 species of coral, 600 species of fish, and 750 species of birds.

The country has an unfortunate reputation for high levels of serious crime. Animosity between local tribes and clans is responsible for much of the most serious incidents.

Port Moresby and Lae, as well as the Southern Highlands Province, are common areas in Papua New Guinea for tensions between ethnic groups.

The population of the country is just under 10 million and there are over 1,000 different ethnic minorities, speaking some 800 languages.