Couple 'kidnapped by CANNIBALS and tortured on dream holiday to Papua New Guinea'

A British reality TV star claims he and his girlfriend were kidnapped and tortured by CANNIBALS on a dream trip to Papua New Guinea.

Matthew Iovane says he and girlfriend Michelle Clemens were captured, stripped and blindfolded by painted tribesmen waving spears who threatened to kill them.

The 31-year-old, who starred on Channel 4's Shipwrecked , told The Sun they were brutally beaten with machetes when they tried to flee the jungle.

Iovane and his American girlfriend had reportedly enjoyed an adventure holiday of lifetime when things went terrifyingly wrong on the last day.

The couple had been trekking in the Papua New Guinea jungle - infamous for its alleged cannibalism - when they were reportedly confronted by two tribesmen.

Tribesmen: Papua New Guinea natives (file photo)

Iovane told The Sun: "They both had machetes with huge blades and one had a long wooden spear with a crude arrowhead and they were grunting.

"I thought we were being robbed so we put down our bags and tried to calm them, saying they could take everything when they started pushing and threatening us."

The pair say they were stripped naked, tied up with vines and blindfolded before being subjected to a sickening 'torture game'.

Clemens, 31, from Los Angeles, is believed to have had her fingers cut to the bone as she fought with the "feral" tribesmen who Iovane says they barely spoke English but were able to threaten: "We will kill you."

Adventure: The couple trekked the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea

The couple say they eventually managed to escape as they were being walked along a ridge by their captors.

They fled nearly naked leaving all their belongings behind - including an iPhone which they say the tribesmen seemed to recognise and attempted to use.

Iovane, from east London, told The Sun: "They took our belongings, I was naked in the most remote jungle on Earth with no shoes and Michelle was bleeding buckets beside me in her underwear.

"But nothing mattered except getting away, so we ran.

The traumatised couple were eventually spotted by a man who raised the alarm.

They were airlifted to the capital Port Moresby where they are now recovering, The Sun reported.

The British consulate confirmed it is assisting the couple, the newspaper said.