Gwyneth Paltrow has said former boyfriend Brad Pitt threatened producer Harvey Weinstein after an alleged incident of sexual misconduct.

The 45-year-old actress told The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday she was “blindsided”.

She claimed she was 22 when Weinstein placed his hands on her at a hotel and suggested they go to a bedroom for massages.

Paltrow said she told Pitt what happened and the actor confronted Weinstein at a Broadway opening.

Representatives for Weinstein and Pitt did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Representatives for Weinstein have yet to comment (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

She added: “It was like the equivalent of throwing him against the wall.”

Paltrow said Pitt leveraged his fame and power to protect her at a time when she had neither.

The two, who were briefly engaged, broke up in 1997.

Representatives for Weinstein and Pitt did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.