Kim Cattrall admits 'self-inflicted ageism' almost derailed her career

Kim Cattrall has admitted that "self-inflicted ageism" almost ruined her acting career.

The 68-year-old British star enjoyed success in the 1980s and 1990s in films including Mannequin and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Her star power exploded at the end of the 1990s when she was cast in her iconic role as Samantha Jones in Sex and The City.

Cattrall revealed to The Times that she turned down the role four times before she was convinced to take part - explaining she wrote herself out for the role as she was 41 at the time.

She explained, "Self-inflicted ageism... Well, that changed - 40 became sexy. It became, 'Man, let's have more of that.'"

The star, who was born in Liverpool, went on to explain she is the opposite of her sitcom character.

She said, "I'm the antithesis of her in many ways. I'm a serial monogamist, and then some."

However, she added that she has no issue with fans linking her to the sexually adventurous character.

She said, "I created a fantastic character that I loved, and I put a lot of love in it and if I'm remembered only for that, then that's really OK."

Cattrall has been married three times, first to Larry Davis from 1977 until it was annulled in 1979, then to Andre J. Lyson from 1982 until 1989, and then Mark Levinson from 1998 until 2004.

She has been in a relationship with sound engineer Russell Thomas since 2016 after meeting via a BBC radio show where he was working and she was a guest.