Charles Dance has said his 34-year marriage ended after he “succumbed to some temptations.”

The British actor, known for his portrayal of authoritarian, often villainous characters, spoke about the failure of his marriage in a candid podcast interview.

Dance, whose achievements include Gosford Park, game of Thrones And The Crowntook responsibility for the dissolution of his marriage to Joanna Haythorn and told Gyles Brandreth in Rosebud Podcast: “Overall, it was a wonderful marriage.

“But then, unfortunately, over time, I succumbed to some temptations and the marriage fell apart because of my behavior.”

The couple, who have a son and a daughter, married in 1970. Dance, 77, remained married to Haythorn until he was forced to come clean and admit his indiscretion, leading to their separation in 2004.

He said they had grown apart before splitting up, explaining: “We lived in Somerset, in this huge place, and Jo had her study at one end and I had mine at the other end, and we became a bit like George and Martha (in) Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? really after a while.

“At one point I came back and thought, ‘We really need to have a very serious conversation.’ And I had to come clean, and it was a shock to Jo, God bless her,” Dance said.

Dance said there was “no justification” for his behaviour, but said he did not realise he was attractive to the opposite sex until the mid-1980s when he played the role of Sergeant Guy Perron in the British series “The Last Man”. The jewel in the crown.

“I don’t want to give the impression that I’m looking for excuses,” he said, adding: “I never considered myself attractive. I really didn’t. It wasn’t until I The jewel in the crown Years later, people spoke of me as “the thinking woman’s little treasure.”

“I’ve always been very grateful when girls acted like they were attracted to me. But there’s no justification for that, you know.

Dance elaborated on the temptations he had “succumbed to,” saying, “In our business, Gyles, there are often temptations, and one has to be quite composed and balanced and not have a particularly strong libido not to succumb to them.

“So the marriage ended – a great regret. But fortunately after about 18 months, Jo and I became best friends and, thank God, we still are.”

He said that if he had the chance, he would do things differently, telling Brandreth: “Of course. My goodness, hindsight is a good thing. It took me a long time to understand the law of cause and effect.”

Dance, who also has a daughter with Eleanor Boorman, is in a relationship with Italian star Alessandra Masi.