Scarlett Johansson 'apprehensive' about African charity work

The 25-year-old actress was nervous when she recently travelled to Rwanda to support several women's charities – which help improve the lives of females in the poverty-hit region - because she had been warned she might be disturbed by what she saw.

She said: "I had a bit of apprehension walking into the first hospital. But I soon realised you're standing before people. They might be very ill but they're just people like everyone else. Suddenly you're not aware of how you're feeling, how you're going to look. If you let your guard down and stop being aware of yourself, you're able to really connect with people."

During her work with charity Red, the blonde beauty was amazed by how positive the women she visited were and how strong their bond was with each other.

She told Harper's Bazaar magazine : "I've always found women have power in numbers. We draw strength from the support of other women."

The curvaceous actress has since posed in sexy animal-print outfits for a photo shoot in Harper's Bazaar magazine to raise awareness of the cause.