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Anna Friel's Pushing Daisies co-star struggle

Feb 8, 2009, 4:00 GMT

07/26/2008 - Anna Friel - The 32-year-old actress - who plays Charlotte \'Chuck\' Charles in the US TV show about a man in love with a woman he can\'t touch - got into trouble while working with Lee because the storyline meant she was forbidden to hug him. © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Anna Friel struggled to keep her hands off her "gorgeous" 'Pushing Daisies' co-star Lee Pace.

The 32-year-old actress - who plays Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles in the US TV show about a man in love with a woman he can't touch - got into trouble while working with Lee because the storyline meant she was forbidden to hug him.

She said: "It's not nice to work with someone as gorgeous as Lee and not be able to give him a hug on the screen.

"I'm a tactile person and hugs are something I hold dear to my heart. Lee and I are very good friends and when we're doing a scene together - especially if it's an emotional scene - we won't really be aware of what we're doing. Suddenly the director will shout, 'Stop it, you're going to touch each other!' Lee's good at remembering that but I get into trouble sometimes."

The British actress - who splits her time between Los Angeles and London with her partner David Thewlis and their three-year-old daughter Gracie - is originally from Rochdale, and blames her northern heritage for her touchy-feely ways.

She added: "We show our emotions more in the north. I also come from an Irish family and we're all big huggers and very open."