Renee Zellweger Mortified by Cultural Mistakes  12/26/06

Oscar-winner Renee Zellweger was mortified after she gave her chauffeur in Jordan a big hug goodbye and unwittingly violated the country's conservative protocol.

The Cold Mountain star was working with the Children's Defense Fund last year (05) and attended a summit in Jordan about women's health issues.

She explains, "Sometimes I just make some cultural mistakes here and there. I had this driver in Jordan, he was lovely, he was taking care of me, really, really generous very, very sweet.

"He didn't speak any English. He safely delivered me to the airport and he was just really nice, so I threw my arms around him and I gave him a big Texas thank-you hug.

"I stepped back and I looked at his face and he was horrified, and I thought, 'You don't do that! You don't go over there and you don't hug a man that you don't know.'

"Cultural faux-pas! I thought, 'Oh, my God, here we go. He's insulted and I'm a prostitute and I'm probably going to jail...or I'm probably married to that guy! We're a couple now!''"