British actress Lily James has said she ‘makes mistakes all the time’ but says if your instincts are right you can ‘recover’ and ‘learn from them’.

Her comments emerge in an awkwardly-timed interview, just days after she was pictured in Italy cosying up to married actor Dominic West.

James tells Harper’s Bizarre: “I think I make mistakes all the time. That’s what life is all about. I would never want to run away from a situation or be too scared to act.

“I think that it’s better to throw yourself in and make mistakes with an open heart. If your instincts are right even if they’re misguided, or if you’re open, you know, you can recover from your mistakes and learn from them.”

The actress has not yet commented on the photos that were published this week, but West staged an uncomfortable photo opportunity with his wife Catherine Fitzgerald, 49, outside their Wiltshire home on Tuesday.  

He declared: “Our marriage is strong and we are very much still together," and a bizarre handwritten note bearing the same sentiment, and seemingly signed by West and his wife, was placed outside their home.

West is best known for playing Noah Solloway in The Affair, which explores the emotional effects of an extramarital relationship between his character and a younger woman who catches his eye, named Alison Bailey (Ruth Wilson). 

James was being interviewed as her new film Rebecca is due to be released on October 21 on Netflix.

She says of the main character: “The character of Rebecca kind of went against all norms as a woman. She disobeyed her husband, had affairs and was basically just brilliant. 

But outside of films, she stressed the importance of having a rebellious streak.

“I feel I've rebelled in that way, I was always a rebellious teenager and I think it's important to rebel in that way.”

She added that she is looking to develop a thicker skin when it comes to criticism.

“I think criticism can be useful if it’s constructive. At times, it can feel really personal and it can feel like a vendetta and an attack against you, and that’s really difficult.

“But I’m still learning, I’m still figuring it out, but I still think I can grow and I can develop a thicker skin – because all that really matters is how you feel about yourself and how the people you love feel about you. You can arm yourself with that power and that knowledge.”