Gwendoline Christie 'went to pieces' filming final Game of Thrones episode

Gwendoline Christie was overcome with emotion when filming for the final series of Game of Thrones wrapped.

The actress made her debut as Brienne of Tarth in the hit HBO show's second season in 2012, and the star shared during an appearance on Friday's episode of The Graham Norton Show that letting go of the role proved to be more difficult than she expected.

"When it came to the final episode, I got through it and I felt fine all day," Gwendoline recalled. "But, when it came to the speeches, I finally went to pieces and couldn't stop crying for two hours. People got bored with me in the end, but I got it out of my system."

The Star Wars: The Last Jedi star went on to quip she'd tried to build herself up for the moment, but confessed her emotions got the better of her.

"I have been telling myself for years that it will end and that I have to be prepared to let go," the 40-year-old said.

Gwendoline's character was safely tucked away in Winterfell in the penultimate episode of the fantasy drama's eighth and final series, when Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) destroyed King's Landing with dragon fire in a deadly siege against Queen of the Seven Kingdoms Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey).

When probed by the show's host for spoilers on how the popular series ends, the star replied with a definite "no".

The final episode of Game of Thrones will air on 19 May.