Gwyneth Paltrow admits she cheated on her $29 food stamp challenge

Gwyneth Paltrow has admitted that she cheated on her $29 food stamp challenge and quit after just four days.

Last week the actress was challenged to try and live for a week on $29 (£19) - the average amount low income families in the US receive in food stamps.

Paltrow wrote on her lifestyle website Goop, "As I suspected, we only made it through about four days, when I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice)."

Paltrow posted a picture of her chosen weekly shop on Twitter to show what a recipient in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP) gets for their money.

But many criticised her food choices - especially the seven limes - and even her decision to take part in the challenge.

Writing of the "brouhaha" that ensued, Paltrow stressed that avocados and limes "are cheap in Southern California".

The actress also revealed that she had donated to the Food Bank for New York City before beginning the challenge.