Clooney's drunken bust-up

Hollywood star George Clooney was involved in a drunken bust-up with a security guard outside a West End club.

The actor lost his customary cool after an attempt to dodge the paparazzi by using the back exit of Meze went disastrously wrong, leaving him stranded in a Soho alley at 2am.

A clearly tired and emotional Clooney then blew his top when he saw one of the bar's security staff walk off, uninterested in his plight.

One onlooker said: "The security guard was walking down the alley and George screamed at him, 'come back here' and then he said, 'I am going to f**king have you!'"

Clooney then took a run at the guard and a pushing match started, with his ex-girlfriend Lisa Snowdon getting involved.

"He squared up to the security guard and Lisa was screaming at him, 'George, George, come here'. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away and finally a Jeep pulled up."

A dishevelled Clooney was bundled into the back of the vehicle, which sped away.

"I was genuinely shocked. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. You just don't expect George Clooney to start a fight with a security guard," said the witness.

The 44-year-old star had been in London to promote his latest film, Good Night, And Good Luck. Clooney had spoken to reporters as he arrived for the premiere of the film which he directed, cowrote and starred in.

He talked about an injury he suffered on the set of the forthcoming film Syriana, which left him with a damaged spine.

He told reporters he could not take painkillers because of a family history of addiction - but had found an alternative remedy. "If you drink it doesn't hurt so much," he said. "It's pretty good now."