Scottish actor Gerard Butler had a shocking experience during his recent trip to Australia, when he saw a man get struck by lightning.

The PHANTOM OF THE OPERA star took a break and travelled around Australia after a tour of Asia, and he was stunned when a rainy day turned into a huge spectacle.

He says, "In Sydney, this is a little weird, but I saw someone being struck by lightning. I'm pretty sure.

"There was this huge thunderstorm coming over Bondai Beach and I was standing in this restaurant to the side. I went out to watch it because literally the bolt lightning was right in front of us. There were a few people in the beach and I was looking down going, 'Why are they there?' And literally, the biggest piece of bolt lightning I have ever seen in my life strikes the beach and I see somebody fall over.

"Two minutes later there's 10 people there, then a vehicle comes out, then there's two ambulances and then four police cars. And then the next day it was in the paper that somebody had been struck by lightning. But I think he's alright now."