LeAnn Rimes caught up in armed robbery

Leann Rimes has opened up about the trauma she suffered when she was caught up in an armed robbery as a child.

The star was just seven years old when she and her father became victims in a terrifying heist at a convenience store in Houston, Texas.

Rimes reveals she ran for her life when a man drew a gun in the store, and she cowered in boxes at the back of the building until the horrific incident was over.

She tells the Houston Chronicle, "My dad used to sell seismic supplies for drilling rigs, and he used to drive back and forth to Houston like once a month. The one thing I do remember is I was in a convenience-store robbery. It was my first time in Houston. I was seven. It was pretty traumatic. I wanted to go get, like, a Slurpee or something.

"There was this guy standing in front of us in the line, and he whipped out a gun. I ran to the back and put myself in a Coca Cola crate because I was terrified."

Rimes was not hurt in the robbery, but admits she was traumatised for a long time afterwards, adding, "It took me a while to go to a convenience store after that."