Hayley Atwell is now in a relationship with a childhood friend and is planning to settle down with him.

The actress has previously dated The Office creator Stephen Merchant and Snow Patrol rocker Paul Wilson. But Hayley's now revealed that she has had her fill of showbiz romances and is now dating an old pal after they were reintroduced by his sister.

"He's a doctor," she gushed to British newspaper The Times, but didn't disclose his name. "A medical doctor, so he's not in the industry and I've known him since he was 10. I've finally met someone who I want to share my life with."

Hayley, who plays socialite Margaret Schlegel in new TV period drama Howards End, added that she has also taken inspiration from her character on how to build a successful relationship.

The 35-year-old explained, "I'm very happy, but as Margaret says, 'I don't expect any man or woman to be all my life.' I think that's such a beautiful thing to say and it's true. You can love someone tremendously, but I you get lost in someone, it's the end of the relationship anyway."

Hayley hit headlines recently in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal after it was reported that he was the unnamed movie executive who called her a "fat pig" on the set of the 2007 movie Brideshead Revisited.

She quickly set the record straight and pointed out that the comment had not been made by the disgraced former Miramax boss, but was still angered by talk about her weight.

"I woke up the next day going, 'How boring that now my weight is the topic of conservation.' And that is a form of sexism. When we talk about women and body image, it is a form of control. It is a form of shaming a woman," she said.

Although Hayley was not targeted by Weinstein, she said she "will support" those who have accused him of sexual assault and shares "in their grief".