Diaz tries to remove Stig's helmet

Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise.

AAP Images

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HOLLYWOOD stars Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise playfully tried to wrest off The Stig's helmet as they larked around while filming their laps on the Top Gear racetrack.

The pair, who attended the premiere of their new action blockbuster Knight And Day in London last week, spent the day whizzing round the circuit at the Top Gear base in a Kia Cee'd.

The Stig came to Diaz's aid when the Kia conked out at one point - but the damsel in distress repaid the good turn by cheekily trying to remove the mysterious driver's headgear.

The stars, dressed casually in jeans, grinned happily with their arms round The Stig, who kept his own arms firmly folded as they posed for pictures in the sunshine.

Meanwhile, Mission Impossible star Cruise went to help when a man fainted in the Top Gear studio audience, before recovering.

Later, at the film premiere, Top Gun star Cruise, 48, described his experience on the track as "fun, very fun".

"I like fast cars and motorcycles - I've always loved them since I was a kid," Cruise said.

Diaz, who glittered in a silver sequinned Stella McCartney mini dress at the premiere, admitted she was finding it difficult to keep their scores a secret.

"We did timed laps. It's very exciting - we know the score and we want to tell everybody, but we can't because we want them to watch the show," she said.

The 37-year-old added: "I love speed. What I love about it is that you have to live in the moment, and I love just being in the moment."