As far as entrances go, it was certainly a painful one.
Action man Hugh Jackman was left with a bad cut under his eye after sliding down a cable from the top of the Sydney Opera House towards a giant outdoor stage where Oprah Winfrey was recording the second of her Australian shows.
But the 55-year-old actor failed to stop, crashing into the stage’s light rigging and hurting his face.
Crash landing: Hugh Jackman cut his eye after smashing into light rigging live on Australian television when a zip wire stunt on the Oprah Winfey show went wrong
After being lowered from the 100-yard zip wire, paramedics rushed onto the stage to tend to him, with all the drama being captured live on television.
One of the medics even gave him a hug as host Oprah rushed over, suspending her show while the X-Men star was treated.
‘I’m not 100 per cent, actually,’ he said as he struggled to free himself from the harness while dangling 30ft in the air.
This is fun: He was travelling towards an outdoor stage where he was set to join American TV star Oprah, who was filming the second of her Australian shows
‘I’ve hurt my eye – it’s not bad. I’m really sorry about this.’
As blood began to run down his cheek from a bad cut below his right eye, Oprah hurried across to him and called for aid.
‘Let’s take a break and get some ice,’ she said.
No less than six paramedics took Jackman off the stage as he held a towel to his face.
Smash: The 42-year-old star then crashed into the stage’s light rigging, cutting his eye
Oprah’s appearance at the Opera House had been dramatic enough with thousands of people lining nearby streets and filling the forecourt of the iconic harbourside building.
Some fans had waited all night for a glimpse of the world’s most famous talk show host.
After a short break Jackman returned to the stage with a plaster below his eye and a bruise coming up quickly.
‘It was the excitement,’ he said. ‘It caused me to hit the brake too late.’
His young son Oscar was visibly upset when he realised his father had been hurt. ‘That was so much fun until the end,’ he said.
Jackman explained: ‘I came down waving to everyone, looking over Sydney Harbour, saw my dad, the kids and you, went to pull the brake and then boing!’
What a bruiser: Jackman holds ice and a towel to his face, while quaffing on some wine, which might have helped with the pain relief
Back to business: He recovered in time to give Oprah a lesson in eating Vegemite, a favourite spread with Australians, before washing it down with one of Australia’s most expensive wines, the Penfold’s Grange
But it wasn’t the worst he’d suffered during his career, he said.
He’d had worse injuries on the film set.
But Jackman was well enough to give Winfrey a lesson on eating Vegemite, a black yeast breakfast spread many Australians love. He spread some onto a biscuit and offered it to the TV chat show queen.
‘I like it,’ declared Winfrey, before eating some more and washing it down with a glass of one of Australia’s best and most expensive wines, the Penfold’s Grange.
Can I get a top up please? Jackman’s eye quickly swelled after the collision
In another of her surprise splashes of gifts, she gave a cheque worth £150,000 to a Sydney couple after watching an emotional video in which the husband told how he was battling cancer.
She also gave everyone in the audience a silver necklace with an ‘O’ pendant.
Winfrey took 300 audience members with her to Australia to commemorate her 25th and final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
The audience has spent the past week exploring every corner of the continent, which Winfrey calls a ‘magical, wondrous place’.
The Sydney-filmed episodes will feature appearances by Aussie stars including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman. Bon Jovi is also slated to perform.
All together: Fellow Australians Nicole Kidman, her husband Keith Urban, Olivia Newton John and Russell Crowe also joined the host for the filming of Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure
