Actress Anna Friel 'thinking of freezing eggs until boyfriend Rhys Ifans ready to be a dad'

Anna Friel has revealed she is thinking of having her eggs frozen - for when boyfriend Rhys Ifans feels ready to face fatherhood.

The 36-year-old actress - who stars opposite Steve Coogan in the forthcoming film about porn baron Paul Raymond, The Look Of Love - already has a seven-year-old daughter Gracie from her 10 year relationship with Harry Potter star David Thewlis.

Friel has been dating Notting Hill star Rhys for two years, and told Easy Living magazine: "I do want another child, but it's not something I want to rush into at his point in my life with Rhys. I think he would like his own child, but I'm not sure we're ready yet."

She added: "I'm 36. All my friends around me are freezing their eggs! It's so much harder to be a woman these days. We've got to do everything - keep working and cope with travelling, and still be a mother."

The former Brookside star revealed she stays looking young by drinking juiced raw vegetables and berries every day, and having a procedure called a Vampire Facial, where blood cells are injected into the face. But she admitted she does drink and Ifans loves to cook for her.

Speaking about her relationship with the Welsh hellraiser she said: "Of course we go out together - but you don't really see us pictured together. We try not to make anything public because it can make relationships harder. He's shy when it comes to that kind of thing."

PA