Mr Rivers is no stranger to risks

He performed the feat while preparing for a world-record parachute jump.

His operations manager Jim Crosbie, 41, said: "It was fantastic... he is fine.

"We were doing some high altitude testing of the equipment, and while we were there we decided to do the bungee jump as well as test the cameras and oxygen.

"That height was the lower limit of where you can jump without oxygen.

Cloudless

"Curtis was taking oxygen from the balloon pilot during their flight."

Mr Rivers, a stuntman in feature films including Tomorrow Never Dies, is still planning to make the longest parachute jump ever by spending a full hour falling through the air from 33,000 feet (10,058 metres).

He also hopes to attempt to break two other records - the highest-ever static line parachute jump, and opening a parachute at the highest-ever altitude.

Mr Crosbie said: "The other records will be attempted later in the year, but it is difficult to find somewhere in Europe which is clear of cloud and commercial aviation lanes."