Penelope Cruz has 'fear of driving' after watching her sister get run over

Penelope Cruz has opened up about her "fear of driving" after her sister was run over in front of her.

The actress has spoken about how horrific it was to witness the accident.

“My sister was run over by a car in front of me when I was eight or nine," she said in an interview with Elle magazine.

“It’s a great trauma, because I saw her losing consciousness. And I was numb in the hospital, telling people, ‘Oh, my sister just got run over by a car."

Penelope's sister Monica made a full recovery, but it's left the Vanilla Sky actress nervous about getting in front of a wheel.

"I have fear of driving," she admitted.

The actress is currently starring in the sports thriller, Ferrari. She plays Laura Ferrari alongside Adam Driver, who plays Italian race car driver Enzo Ferrari. The story deals with how Laura and Enzo handled the loss of their son Dino.

Penelope, 49, believes the experience with her sister has given her a hypersensitivity to other people’s feelings.

“I’m lucky to have it, but maybe it makes me feel or suffer things more,” she said.

"It’s been one of the main things I deal with in therapy: how to work a balance so I can keep feeling those things without making those feelings my own."