Joanna Lumley: 'I'm not much of a god'

Rex Features

Joanna Lumley has claimed that she does not have the "good snappy nature" to be a god.

The actress was recently declared a goddess by the people of Nepal for her work at the head of the Gurkha Justice Campaign in support of Nepalese soldiers who fought for Britain.

Lumley told The Guardian: "It's beyond comprehension actually, you know? In Nepal they believe that if the gods can't handle something, a problem, they pick somebody out and send them to earth to solve the problem, and the person who solves the problem is called a god or a goddess.

"And because my head was above the parapet, because my face was the identifiable one of our team - we were a team - they maybe saw me as that person who had been sent to sort the problem."

She added: "I don't have it in me. I don't lose my temper. I used to, but I realised I would probably die of a brain haemorrhage.

"I don't think I'm much of a god, because I don't have the good snappy nature that would throw a thunderbolt."