James Norton is "crazily grateful" for the "pain" of his split from Imogen Poots

Speaking at the Glasonbury Festival, The Sun newspaper reports he said: "It was a gift in a weird, roundabout way.

"She called it. She realised it wasn't working.

"I'm crazily grateful for the pain she caused me."

James - who is now believed to be dating Lily Allen - admitted the split was a "massive" moment in his life because he thought he and Imogen were going to raise a family together.

He said: "I got broken up with and it was massive.

"I thought I was going to have kids.

"The life I thought I was going to have disappeared at 38."

The Happy Valley actor previously insisted he hasn't given up hope of having a family, despite the end of his engagement.

He told The Sunday Times newspaper: "Getting older is a struggle if you are freaking out about the choices you've made, but I don't carry regret. And, you know, some of the choices recently weren't mine, yet I don't feel begrudging. Maybe next year I'll have a family and a relationship ...

"You have a certain amount of control over your life and choices you make, and at other times you don't. But if you made those choices or not, it's a shame to spend time agonising over either."

And despite his desire to have children, James doesn't think it would have been "fair" for him to start a family in recent years.

He said: "I don't sit on set where I'm playing a dad and feel sad and broody. I love hanging out with kids - most of my friends have kids so I'm not quite in step with my peers - but the past few years have been the busiest I've been, so it would not have been fair to bring a child into that.

"Also, the inherently unfair benefit of being a man is there is less rush. I am lucky I can have kids later, so now I'm happy, actually, with my life. I feel really excited by the choices I've made."