Life with the Bonham-Carter and Burtons

Journalists just love Helena Bonham Carter, who gives the best interviews ever – as her recent appearance in the London Evening Standard demonstrates. Helena, who's just had her second child, an as-yet-unnamed daughter says her labour at London's Paddington Hospital went well, 'I'm totally in love,' says Helena, 'I even loved the birth. I'd do it again in a flash. I just got the drugs, sat back, and enjoyed it. It was all so casual that she didn't even cry when she came out.'

The actress goes on to reveal some great details of what life is like in the unconventional household she shares with director Tim Burton (the two live in houses next door to each other). 'You turn right to go into Beatrix Potter-land [my French country style side] and left to go into weird-land. [laughs] It's ideal because we could steer well clear of each other, which is fantastic.'

Some might think it's an odd way to play at happy families, but Bonham-Carter has the last word: 'In any relationship, after the first year is over, you can't help but want your own space. We have different telly tastes and both work from home. But things obviously aren't that bad between us, or I wouldn't have gotten up the duff [pregnant], would I?'

On her return to her role as Bellatrix in Harry Potter, Bonham Carter says one of the handy things about just having given birth is: 'Bellatrix has huge breasts, and I won't need the chicken cutlets this time…Anyway, Helen McCrory, who plays my sister, has also got a small baby, so we're going to have a witch's crèche on-set.'

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