Leonardo DiCaprio Survives Shark Attack in South Africa [Video]

During an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, Golden Globe Award winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio revealed that a "gigantic great white" tried to attack him while he went shark cage diving while on a break from filming Blood Diamond in South Africa in 2006.

The 39-year-old Wolf of Wall Street star told DeGeneres: "I had a huge fear of sharks, and when I did 'Blood Diamond' in 2006 I actually got stuck in a cage with a great white, which was awesome.

"It was a gigantic great white ... They actually said in 30 years this has never happened, but the tuna kind of got stuck on the top of the cage and the great white leapt out and tried to bite it and went into the cage with me.

"Half of its body was in and out, and I flattened down at the bottom, and it was this far away, and it chomped a few times but I survived it."

DiCaprio - whose Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation raises money to protect endangered wildlife and their environments - had been invited on the expedition by an organisation devoted to protecting sharks, but admitted the experience left him shaken.

He told DeGeneres: "I don't want to do that anymore, but I don't want to discount their work because they're doing great stuff. But it was absolutely terrifying."

Watch the video below: