Damian Lewis trying to live life to the full following death of wife Helen McCrory

Damian Lewis is trying to live life to the full following the death of his wife Helen McCrory.

The 54-year-old actor was married to 'Peaky Blinders' star Helen from 2007 until she passed away after a battle with breast cancer at the age of 52 in 2021, and the 'Wolf Hall' star has now explained he is getting through the grief with a "manic defence" approach.

He told the Daily Mail's Eden Confidential column: "There's a well-known psychological state in grief, or post any sort of trauma, which is called the manic defence.

"I have the manic defence in a very pronounced way, which is that you affirm life.

"So in amongst the inevitable days of being in a heap on the floor bawling your eyes out, there is your manic defence, which is like, 'Come on, live life, move forward, and reaffirm life.'"

Damian and Helen got married in 2007 and had two children together - a daughter called Manon, 18, and a son called Gulliver - and he has said it is important to carry on living life because he wants his children to know that "everything is not over" yet.

The 'Homeland' actor added: "Life is there for the taking, to be lived.

"Especially when you have two children - making sure they have a sense that everything is not over."