Love-starved Kate Beckinsale can’t wait to get her man back in the bedroom.

 

By John Marrs

It’s not easy for any working husband and wife to maintain a frisky physical relationship. You’re busy with the kids and there’s pressure from work – it’s a common problem in thousands of relationships.

And it still applies if you’re a Hollywood sex symbol and your hubby is a successful movie director, as actress Kate Beckinsale, 33, reveals.

In fact, she’s so frustrated by hubby Len Wiseman’s long working hours, she’s planning on banning him from work for a month, locking him in their bedroom and making him her sex slave!

London-born Kate is in the middle of a sex drought after being left high and dry by workaholic Len.

“I’ve felt so lonely because Len has been a virtual stranger for several months now,” she tells Sunday. “He basically only comes home to sleep.”

Len, 34, has been busy directing and editing the Bruce Willis film, Live Free Or Die Hard, which is released in cinemas this summer.

“I’ve told him he’s going to have to make it up to me,” saysKate. “I won’t let him out of bed for a month!”

And Kate – who has an eight-year-old daughter, Lily, from her relationship with British actor Michael Sheen – is hoping that the month-long bedroom lock-in might lead to the patter of tiny feet.

“I miss the time when Lily was completely dependent on me and I was with her virtually every moment of the day,” says Kate.

“She’s so precious to me and I loved holding her in my arms all the time.

I also loved bringing her to the film sets in her pram and being able to look after her during breaks.

“I enjoyed that immensely. Now, when she’s not on the set or in school, I worry about her. When Len is working, I’ve been focusing on Lily even more.”

Kate, who starred in box-office smashes Pearl Harbour and The Aviator, says she and Len have been happy to sacrifice their life as a showbiz couple for the sake of their daughter.

“We rarely go to parties and premieres and almost never eat out in trendy LA restaurants,” she says.

“We’re very much a home couple. Because we’re sometimes working hard on projects, we try to spend as much time as possible with Lily.”

Kate and Michael Sheen were together for nine years before they split amicably in 2002.

They broke up while working together on the vampire film Underworld, which was directed by Len, who then started dating Kate. Within a matter of months, they were engaged, before marrying in May 2004.

Kate is grateful that Len and Michael have a good relationship.

“I’ve been very lucky to have two marvellous men in Len and Michael, who have no awkward feelings about parenting Lily and working things out,” she says.

“From the beginning, all of us put Lily first and that made it very easy.

Now she loves the idea of having two fathers. She thinks it’s normal and is very proud. She doesn’t mind telling her friends that she has two daddies.

“When we’re in town, me, Len, Lily and Michael often all go out together. Or Michael will babysit so Len and I can go out.

“I think it’s so sad when adults can’t find it in themselves to get along for the sake of
a child. So I’m very proud that Michael and Len haven’t let any potential awkwardness affect our little family.”

Kate – who hits cinemas next month in the thriller Vacancy – says that when it comes to her daughter, her acting career will always come second.

“Lily has always been my first priority,” she explains. “I’ve never been comfortable leaving her with a nanny or babysitter when it comes to picking her up from school or not being there to put her to bed at night. Those are important moments for children.”

LA-based Kate makes sure that she takes roles that mean she’s never too far away.

“I tend to avoid films if it means I have to shoot in countries like Bulgaria or Moldova for six months,” she explains. “And if I ever did sign up to a film which would mean being away, I would want to have Lily and Len with me as much as possible. I’d be an absolute nervous wreck without them.”

Lily is already showing signs that she enjoys her mother’s acting career and could even follow in her footsteps.

“When I was shooting the movie Click, Lily was often on the set with me,” says Kate. “She became very comfortable with the idea of being around the actors and crew members.”

Kate’s father, Porridge actor Richard Beckinsale, died of a heart attack when she was just five. As a teenager, she suffered from anorexia and her weight plummeted to just 5st. She’s also struggled with anxiety for most of her life. But now, for the first time ever, she feels that she’s got her life together.

“I’m much more settled,” she admits. “I spent a long time feeling very conflicted about everything and my twenties were mostly about working out a lot of crap that was clogging my brain.

“I just didn’t really feel good about myself – not deep down – until I started bonding with my daughter. Then, when I met Len, I found a man who was the right partner for me and things became much simpler. He’s very attentive and caring.

“Being a mother forces you to be much less self-centred,” Kate adds. “You also have a different lifestyle where you have very basic responsibilities to another human being who is very dependent on your love and support.

“It’s an enormous source of comfort to finally have some balance and order in my life.
I have Len to look after me, and I spend the rest of my time looking after Lily.”