Arterton thought family was odd

Gemma Arterton used to think her family was "odd".

The actress was slightly embarrassed of her home life when she was growing up because she came from a broken home and her "hippy" mother was nota conventional parent.

Arterton - whose parents Sally-Anne and Barry separated when she was five - said: "My home life was very dysfunctional. I remember thinking: 'God, my family is so odd.' My mum and dad split up when I was very young and I had lots of brothers and sisters and my mum had lots of boyfriends.

She was a hippy and had loads of stuff from her travels. When I'd go to my friends' houses, they'd have B&Q wallpaper and we had drawings all over the wall. It's fabulous now but at the time I remember being embarrassed."

However, Arterton insists it was a very happy household and she has not been affected by her parents' split.

She said: "My best friend is going through a divorce now, but for years she's been putting it off because of her eight-year-old. I keep saying to her the best thing is to bring up a child in a loving household, even if that means divorce.

"I can vouch that he's not going to turn into some down-and-out kid. And when you're younger you just sort of live with it. Plus, you get two sets of Christmas presents!"