Actress Kate Winslet has beaten Hollywood star Tom Cruise's record after she held her breath for a staggering seven minutes and 15 seconds while filming 'Avatar: The Way Of Water'.

The average person can hold their breath for roughly one or two minutes.

The actress, 47, who plays Ronal in the highly anticipated sequel stayed underwater for seven minutes and 15 seconds.

Cruise famously held his breath for six minutes on the set of 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation'.

Winslet was so chuffed with her aquatics skills that she got her husband to video the scene after she sneaked him on set during production.

Speaking at a global press conference ahead of the film's launch she said: "I actually have a video of when I surface from that breath-hold. And the only reason I have it is because my husband snuck in.

"I said, 'Please don't come because I just don't want you videoing. I'll just feel pressure, just please don't do that' and he snuck in."

She continued: "I have the video of me surfacing saying, 'Am I dead? Have I died?' And then going 'what was it?' - straightaway I wanted to know my time. I couldn't believe that it was 7.15 but having been told it's 7.15 - you want to know what the next thing I say is? We need to the radio set.

"I wanted James to know right way, that's the first thing I wanted to do - it definitely wasn't a competition."

The Avatar sequel has reunited Kate and director James Cameron on set for the first time since the 1997 blockbuster Titanic.

'Avatar: The Way Of Water' is due for release in cinemas on December 16. (KB/IANS)