Madonna surprised partygoers at an auction gala in Cannes by putting the contents of her diamond-encrusted handbag up for sale.

The gala was held on Thursday night in order to raise funds for amfAR, an Aids research foundation.

The Material Girl auctioned off her Chanel handbag, which was custom-designed by Karl Lagerfeld, as well as some lip gloss, lip balm, a hand mirror and some hair clips.

She also auctioned off an autographed guitar and a "private concert" for two people backstage for £282,000.

The annual Cinema Against Aids gala hosted by Sharon Stone is one of the hottest tickets at the Cannes Film Festival.

The cheapest seats go for around £2,000 each rising to £7,000 for seats nearer the stage. The total funds raised for the evening were well over £5 million.

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