George Clooney thought he'd broken his neck in near-fatal motorbike crash

George Clooney has spoken about his near-fatal motorbike accident last year, saying that he's used up 'all his nine lives'.

The actor was knocked off his bike by a car travelling at 70 miles per hour in Sardinia in July last year, while travelling to the set of forthcoming mini-series Catch 22.

Despite being thrown 20 feet into the air, he was uninjured in the crash and after being initially taken to hospital was discharged the same day.

“That was a really fun time. I've learned that I really, actually, cannot fly. I learned that lesson really well,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

“It got both Grant [Heslov, director and actor in Catch 22] and me, after 40 years of riding together, off of motorcycles for good. I had to quit. It was bad. I hit [a car] at 70 miles an hour.

“[The impact] split my helmet in half, it knocked me out of my shoes. I was hit hard.

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“I was just waiting for the switch to turn off because I broke his windshield with my head, and I thought, 'OK, well, that’s my neck.' If you get nine lives, I got all of them used up at once. So I can let go of motorcycle riding for a while.”

Clooney heads an all-star cast in the TV adaptation of Joseph Heller's celebrated novel.

He plays Lieutenant Scheisskopf alongside Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler and Hugh Laurie.

It airs on Hulu in the US, and on Channel 4 soon.