It's the kind of scandalous headline that would draw gasps of disbelief and send shockwaves through Hollywood. No one would expect George Clooney to admit to adultery, especially not during a broadcasted interview.

But ex-girlfriends and his current one alike can breathe a sigh of relief because the actor was only eight-years-old at the time - and thought it meant acting like an grown-up, Daily Mail writes.

George, 50, spoke about his 'confession' during an interview on Inside The Actors' Studio this week, and spoke to host James Lipton about his childhood. As a photo of an angelic-looking Clooney aged eight flashed up, he spoke about a visit to confession when he was that age.

Clooney, who was raised a Roman Catholic and was an alter boy for a while, said he ended up confessing to adultery.

He said: 'In second grade, you’re 8 years old, and you’re going to confession once a week. You go down that list of 10 Commandments and I remember reading "adultery" and I would confess to committing adultery because I thought it mean acting like an adult. I didn’t know what the hell it meant.'

George was appearing on the prestigious show to talk about his new film The Descendants, in which he has been nominated for an Oscar and a Bafta for his lead role.

He said: 'From the very minute I read the script, I understood it was about a guy who was very different from anyone I ever played before, and anything I was comfortable doing. I went to a wardrobe fitting, and they put me in a pair of khakis up underneath my armpits, and tucked a Hawaiian shirt into it. I put away my masculinity and vanity right there. It was gone.'