Jamie Dornan was hospitalised after suffering heart attack-like symptoms following a brush with toxic caterpillars.

The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' star fell ill during a holiday in Portugal after an encounter with the critters while he was out playing golf with his journalist pal Gordon Smart, who was also struck down with strange symptoms that prompted him to seek medical help.

Gordon explained the drama during an appearance on BBC show 'The Good, the Bad and the Unexpected', saying: "We had a great time the first day, played loads of golf, went out, lots of wine was drunk and then we got on to espresso martinis.

"Anyway, the next day, we played golf, we were all absolutely dreadful and I started to feel tingling in my left hand and then tickling in my left arm. I'm the son of a GP and thought: 'This is normally the sign of the start of a heart attack."

"Now, I'm a fairly healthy guy but once you start thinking, you're having a heart attack, you're pretty sure that you're convincing yourself that you are having one."

Gordon was treated at a local hospital and when he returned to his hotel, he discovered Jamie had gone through a similar experience. He added: "Jamie said: 'Dear me. Gordon, about 20 minutes after you left, my left arm went numb, my left leg went numb, my right leg went numb, and I found myself in the back of an ambulance'."

Both men made full recoveries and later found out the symptoms are likely to have been caused by toxic caterpillars.

Gordon explained: "It turns out we'd brushed up against hairy processionary caterpillars and have been very lucky to come out of that one alive ...

"There are caterpillars on golf courses in the south of Portugal that have been killing people's dogs and giving men in their 40s heart attacks."