Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender are "like a circus family"

Asked about balancing work and family life, Alicia told The Observer magazine: "It's gone pretty well, actually. We've been together almost 10 years and we tend to not work at the same time. We're more like a circus family, always on the move."

The 35-year-old actress appreciates having a spouse who understands the demands of the industry, but also relishes having friends whose careers are away from Hollywood, as it means they can lead their personal life away from work.

She said: "Most of my friends are not actors or in the industry at all. That has definitely been really wonderful sometimes, because this industry can be quite overwhelming, and it's been nice to have a life that is very much away from that.

"But obviously having a partner and a husband who knows it more than anyone, and who knows me better than anyone - it's nice having someone who understands you and the situation you're in and shares it."

When she isn't working, Alicia loves organising social events with her friends.

She said: "That's my personality. People know I'm not working when I host dinners or I make plans for fun things to do. I really do care about those relationships and keeping the people I love close to me."

The 'Ex Machina' star let slip in a recent interview with Elle magazine that she'd given birth to her second child earlier in the year, but she insisted it wasn't a deliberate move to keep her pregnancy secret.

She said: "It was the strike and then I was just working.

"I've always been very private, in the sense that I don't talk a lot about my family. I mean, I didn't make an announcement."