Gal Gadot sabotaged chance of winning Miss Universe

Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot was once so terrified she might win the Miss Universe contest, she deliberately sabotaged her chances.

The Israeli actress was never planning a career as a beauty queen but decided to enter the race to become Miss Israel on a whim, thinking that at best she'd have a "great story" to tell her grandkids.

But when she won, Gadot discovered the title came with a big obligation - to represent her native country at the global gathering.

"When I competed for Miss Israel, I was never into pageants or anything like that," Gadot admitted on Live with Kelly and Ryan of the surprise "opportunity" that came her way just before she began her homeland's mandatory two-year military service.

"I had just finished high school and had some time before my military service," she explained.

"And then, like, the opportunity came and I thought, 'I'll do that'. In Israel, it's very prestigious (to take part) and I thought, 'It'll be a great story to tell my grandkids - that grandma competed in the Miss Israel pageant'," she went on.

"Little did I know that I would win," Gadot laughed, "and then when they sent me to (compete in) Miss Universe, I was like, 'No way I want to be Miss Universe!'"

She added: "So I sabotaged the whole thing."

Although she did not elaborate on her losing plan, Gadot has previously told Rolling Stone magazine she pretended not to speak English and also picked unflattering outfits to wear during the event.

"I lost majorly," she told the outlet, "I victoriously lost."