Actor Rob Lowe has opened up about his vacation terror as French floods threatened to wash himself and his family away during a recent break in Grasse.

The star is back in America after the disaster, which one of his sons caught on camera and posted online.

The frightening footage showed flood waters engulfing the Lowes' vacation house, ripping down trees and washing away cars.

Lowe tells U.S. news show Extra, "When I looked out the bedroom window and saw a Bmw car floating by... I knew it was probably time to call the rescue people.

"We were very lucky, we got rescued by amazing first responders... We got 12 inches of rain in two hours in the South of France... It's amazing how quickly it could all turn.

"My son and all his high school buddies were on a celebratory Euro trip with us, so they got memories they were not planning for that they're never gonna forget, that's for sure."