Hitman saved Angelina Jolie’s life by asking her one question after she tried to hire him to kill her

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

Angelina Jolie once had her life saved by a hitman, after trying to hire him to take out a hit... on her own life.

The Tomb Raider star is arguably one of the most recognisable faces on Hollywood and has enjoyed a hugely successful career on the big screen.

However, she wasn't always happy with her life.

Jolie, who is the daughter of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, has spoken candidly about her experience with mental illness numerous times, even revealing that she'd contemplated taking her own life before.

One admission included the Mr and Mrs Smith star admitting that she'd once tried to hire a hitman to kill her and make it appear as though she'd been the victim of a crime.

"This is going to sound insane but there was a time I was going to hire somebody to kill me," she explained in a 2001 interview with IMDb.

Angelina Jolie is a mother-of-six and a hugely accomplished actor, but none of that nearly happened (Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

The 50-year-old later revisited the story once again in a 2003 interview with The Face, revealing that she'd made contact with an assassin in New York at the age of 22.

"As insane as it sounds, I think a lot of people consider suicide when they’re young," Jolie explained.

However, the actor was acutely aware of the impact that suicide would have on her mother, so she devised the plan to disguise her death as a 'robbery'.

"So my solution to that was if someone else had taken my life - like in a 'robbery' - then it would be murder and it wouldn’t be that anyone would feel they’d let me down," she continued.

Jolie began withdrawing cash in small amounts in order to put the plan into action, but was ultimately saved when the contract killer she'd hire said to spend a bit more time thinking her decision over.

"He was a decent enough person and asked if I could think about it and call him again in two months," she added.

"Something changed in my life and I figured I’d stick it out."

Jolie, pictured in 2000, would ultimately decide against the hit (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

Given the fact that Jolie was only 22 at the time, the incident is likely to have happened somewhere between 1997 and 1998, proceeding her breakthrough roles in TV films Gia and George Wallace - both of which won her a Golden Globe.

She would then go on to star in Girl, Interrupted alongside Brittany Murphy, Winona Ryder and Jared Leto, winning her an Oscar for 'Best Supporting Actress'.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.