Friday night's celebrity packed Haiti telethon raised more than $57million (£37million) for the relief effort in the earthquake hit country.

Lisa Pulson from the Entertainment Industry Foundation claims that the figure is a record for disaster relief telethons.

The telethon was aired in London, Los Angeles and New York simultaneously on Friday with live performances from a dizzying array of stars including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay.

Over 100 celebrities took part in the telethon, with the likes of Robert Pattinson, Stephen Spielberg and Julia Roberts making appeals to the public.

A number of them made big donations to the cause – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie gave £1million, host George Clooney also gave $1million, while Madonna pledged $250,000.

George Clooney said at the event: "At the core of every religion is the belief that we care for one another, we take care of each other especially in times of need.

"The Haitian people need our help, they need to know they're not alone, they need to know that that we still care."

(by Scott Colothan)