Rupert Penry-Jones has confessed he hates stripping off on camera and always checks his scripts for nude scenes.

The Whitechapel star became a TV heartthrob off the back of his role as secret agent Adam Carter in hit BBC series Spooks, but admitted to the Reader’s Digest that he is not a fan of the tag.

Rupert said: “I’m not about to turn down roles because they involve nudity. But, given the choice, I’d rather keep my clothes on.

“You want to be doing something because you’re a good actor, rather than because you look a certain way. You only get such parts for a while anyway, and I’ll get less and less as I get older and my belly gets bigger.”

The 41-year-old father-of-two, revealed his wife, actress Dervla Kirwan, would never let his heartthrob status go to his head.

He said: “Sex symbol wasn’t a label that ever attached itself to me until I did Spooks, so I think it’s more about Adam Carter than me.

“He was this brave, ultimate hero, prepared to put his life on the line for Queen and country. No wonder people thought he was wonderful.

“Even if it was, in any sense, about me, I’ve got a wife who wouldn’t let me get away with an ‘Oooh, I’m a heartthrob’ attitude. When I’ve made a list of fanciable or stylish men, she’s said ‘they should see you first thing in the morning’.”