Claire Foy feared she wouldn't "make it past 40" after suffering a number of health scares when she was younger

She told The Sunday Times newspaper: "Death? The fact we're all on our way out? It's something we just don't want to think about while we're alive. But I have thought about death my whole life. I just presumed that it was going to happen, especially through my childhood."

When asked if that fear has subsided as she's grown older, she added: "My thing was that I was never going to make it past 40 - ever.

"I have had many medical things in my life But, yes, I'm still here and someone once told me: 'You know, most people live?'

"They meant most people live quite a long and lovely life. Well, not necessarily lovely. But people do tend to live. That's what humans want to do. We want to survive, and that's quite reassuring."

Claire went on to add that thinking about death has actually made her a more positive person.

She explained: "Being morbid isn't necessarily negative. It can mean that you are quite immediate, like 'Live every day as if it's your last!''

"Because I was ill when I was younger, I just thought: 'Let's crack on!'"

It comes after Claire recently admitted she's found it a struggle to juggle acting with her life as a mother to daughter Ivy, 10, with former husband Stephen Campbell Moore.

She told Harper's Bazaar UK's February issue: "I mean ... having a job and being a parent is a logistical s*** show - that's the truth of it.

"When it comes to making films and TV shows, the hours aren't conducive to having a family - so there's a lot of juggling and a lot of hoping for the best."

Claire also spoke about ageism in the entertainment industry and said women between 45 and 60 suffer the most.

She explained: "I think the industry struggles with women between the age of 45 and 60. They don't really know what to do with them.

"They're like - 'Who are you? You're not a mother. Are you a mother? Or are you a grandmother?'

"I've always felt that it's my responsibility to play the women I know and like, who are out there ... And if I'm able to do that, I will."