The I’m A Celebrity host said there was ‘a massive flash and bang’.

Julia Morris / lightning strike.

Julia Morris’ plane was struck by lightning this week. Photos: Instagram/ladyjuliamorris

Julia Morris has praised Qantas after her plane was struck by lightning. The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! host revealed that the electric bolt struck “two seats away” from her while she flew from the Gold Coast to Melbourne on Monday.

She said the Qantas crew kept passengers informed after the “massive flash and bang”, and assured everyone that they would be safe. The 57-year-old said she had never experienced anything like it in her “40 years of flying”.

A Qantas spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle that while Julia’s flight, QF879, was struck by lightning upon takeoff, it didn’t affect the journey to Melbourne.

“While aircraft are designed to withstand and fly safely when struck by lightning, we know this may have been unsettling for passengers onboard,” they said.

“The aircraft was inspected by engineers and has since returned to service.”

What happens when a plane is struck by lightning?

The majority of passenger aircraft are constructed from aluminium, which conducts electricity and allows the lightning to pass across the skin of the aircraft and exit at the tail.

Passengers might hear a loud bang or a flash of bright light, but other times, they might not even notice.

Qantas plane.

On average, every commercial aircraft is struck by lightning once or twice a year. Photo: Getty

‘Never felt anything like it’

Julia’s post received a wave of comments from her followers, who said they had experienced their plane being struck by lightning, and similarly described it as “terrifying”.

“Never felt anything like it and it was over 20 years ago,” one person wrote.

“I thought it was a bomb and my life was over,” added another.

On average, commercial planes are struck by lightning one or two times a year, according to the National Weather Service.

There are between five and ten deaths from lightning strikes in Australia each year, and over 100 injuries, although the majority of these result from using landline telephones during thunderstorms.