Evangeline Lilly realised she was pregnant on Real Steel set

Evangeline Lilly realized she was pregnant on the set of new movie Real Steel when she had to throw herself into co-star Hugh Jackman's arms.

The former Lost star had just returned from Africa and couldn't decide if the nausea she felt was a bug she had brought back with her or morning sickness - but Aussie hunk Hugh Jackman helped her make up her mind.

She explains, "Hugh Jackman was my lifesize pregnancy test. When I was shooting my last scene in the film, I was about a month pregnant and I was 99 per cent sure I was pregnant but I had just come back from Africa and I wasn't sure if I was feeling sick because I had malaria or because I was pregnant.

"I had to do this scene where I jump into Hugh's arms, which is not a bad thing to do unless you're a month pregnant... I run up to him and I leap up onto him and as I do so it feels like my stomach tears... It just felt like it ripped open.

"They (crew) were like, 'OK, that's a great rehearsal, let's do that again...' It was really painful and at that moment I knew, 'I'm pregnant!'"

But Evangeline Lilly pressed on with the scene, adding, "Would you choose to have someone else jump into Hugh Jackman's arms for you if you had the option?"