'They brought the bomb squad in': Ellen Pompeo was detained by airport security over a bizarre product in her purse

There's always the fear when going through airport security that somehow, for some reason, something in your bag is going to get you flagged with security.

For most of us the irrational fear never manifests into reality, but for Ellen Pompeo everyone's worst nightmare came true.

The Grey's Anatomy star recently shared the bizarre product that left her sitting in a room with the bomb squad for an hour, and you'll never guess what it was.

READ MORE: Brooklyn and Nicola open up as a rift appears to tear Beckham family apart

In an interview with Travel + Leisure Pompeo shared that her carry-on bag consists of some pretty standard items – mints, glasses, water, hand sanitiser, baby wipes and an in-flight snack.

Nothing on that list seems like something the bomb squad would be interested in but unfortunately for Pompeo, she just happened to pack some unfortunate in-flight snacks on this particular occasion.

"I had a bag of sunflower seeds, like organic sunflower seeds from Erewhon, so they were probably the most expensive sunflower seeds money can buy," she revealed.

"They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in. And I was like, 'What is happening? Is this a joke?'

"They said it was most likely a chemical on the packaging of these super expensive, fancy, organic, clean sunflower seeds. My protein on the plane!"

The actress asked security if she could simply toss the seeds and be on her way, however they told her she would have to wait until the bomb squad had inspected the bag.

So, she began texting her publicist to let them know she could potentially miss her flight, adding that they were "never gonna guess why".

READ MORE: Why Hollywood star interrupted Meghan on stage: 'Too precious'

Thankfully, it seems the star made it in time, and hopefully she got her preferred seat.

Pompeo told the publication "a single seat" is her preferred way to fly, adding that there is one exception to the rule.

"But if I'm sitting with someone, it's usually one of my kids," she said.

"So I don't care. Whatever they want."

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.