Katherine Heigl, the Hollywood actress, suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction during an awards ceremony in America.
In the ultimate fashion nightmare, the former Grey’s Anatomy star was on stage at the ShoWest awards ceremony in Las Vegas, when the strap on her red dress broke.
The American actress, 31, had been accepting the Female Star of the Year award at Thursday's ceremony, which is the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners.
But as she started to thank the large audience, one of her straps broke, leaving the shocked actress struggling to hold up the dress and cover her modesty.
She continued undeterred, managing to say her thanks, but asking the host, Billy Bush to help hold up the strap.
Heigl, who has recently left the hit TV show to concentrate on movies such as The Ugly Truth, with Gerard Butler, Knocked Up and 27 dresses, later managed to smile and laugh off the incident.
Earlier judges praised her for her charm and talent in giving her the award.
"Her ever-present charm and innate talent have made Heigl's transition from TV screen to silver screen seemingly effortless," said Robert Sunshine, the event’s managing director.
"Her comedic timing and flair for acting are showcased in each of her roles and have captivated audiences around the globe.”
ShoWest's male star of the year, was Australian actor Sam Worthington, star of Avatar, James Cameron’s smash 3-D hit, which has become the highest grossing film ever.
Attracting delegates from all over the world, attendees saw sneak previews of anticipated summer hits as "Toy Story 3" and the "Karate Kid" remake featuring Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son.
Heigl is due to star with Ashton Kutcher in a new romantic comedy, titled Killers, which is a mixture of movies Mr and Mrs Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and What Happens in Vegas, starring Kutcher and Cameron Diaz.
The plot features Heigl and Kutcher's characters rushing to the altar before suddenly realising their neighbours are assassins who have contracted to kill them.
