Hollywood actor Brad Pitt hated seeing his children learn to surf in Australia because he has a crippling fear of sharks.

The star and his new wife Angelina Jolie spent time Down Under earlier this year (14) while she was filming her movie Unbroken, and their older children learned how to ride waves during their stay in the country.

However, Jolie has now revealed Pitt could not bear to watch the youngsters in the water because he is terrified of shark attacks.

The actress tells Britain's Ok! magazine, "My kids learned to surf, even though Daddy didn't want to know when they were in the water because he has a shark phobia."

Jolie admits she also has reservations about water, but has insisted her children all learn to swim.

She adds, "I taught my kids to swim very early because I have a fear of drowning - I am paranoid about water. It has been a long time since I have swum in the ocean."