£1,000-a-minute date with Scarlett

LONDON: An unnamed Briton has paid nearly £20,000 for a date with Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson that will only last twenty minutes, a charity said on Friday.

The date was auctioned off on eBay and the proceeds will go to Oxfam, a charity the actress has supported in the past.

The UK-based winning bidder — who goes by the nickname “bossnour” — beat off 170 other bidders and paid a total of $40,100 (£19,770) for two tickets to the red carpet premiere of Johansson’s latest film He’s Just Not That Into You in July.

The mystery fan will reportedly get the full star treatment, which includes having their hair and make-up done and be chauffeured to the premiere with a guest.

The ‘date’ will actually consist of a twenty-minute meeting with the New York actress who made her breakthrough in the 2003 film Lost in Translation.

An Oxfam spokesman told the Press Association: “This was a brilliant idea and has proved incredibly popular. All of this money will be used to help us fight poverty in countries all over the world.” In 2007, Johansson travelled to Sri Lanka and India to see the charity’s projects in action.