Michelle Pfeiffer: I was in a cult

Michelle Pfeiffer has revealed that she was in a cult that believed humans could live without food or water.

The actress, 55, became involved with a couple who believed in 'breatharianism', the highest level of which suggests that sunlight can provide the body with all that it needs, and that food and water are not necessary.

However, at the time, she did not realise that the company she was keeping may have had the hallmarks of a cult.

[Pfeiffer won't rule out surgery]

It was only after she met her first husband, Peter Horton, who had been cast in a film about the Moonies and was researching his role, that she saw what was going on.

“We were talking with an ex-Moonie and he was describing the psychological manipulation and I just clicked,” she said.

“They worked with weights and put people on diets.Their thing was vegetarianism. They were very controlling. I wasn’t living with them but I was there a lot and they were always telling me I needed to come more.

[Pfeiffer: I'm sure I'll get fired]

“I had to pay for all the time I was there so it was financially very draining. They believe that people in their highest state were breatharian.”

The practice of breatharianism is linked to a number of deaths.