United Kingdom, July 17 -- Gillian Anderson wants her partner to desire the real her instead of a "perfect version".

The X Files star spoke about her own desires in a candid interview on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast, praising women for sending in their personal letters and stories for her book Want and Gillian insisted talking about sex often opens up a much bigger conversation.

She explained: "I think what was remarkable about the book and the conversation that it's started, was because of the courage of the women who submitted the letters.

"The bigger light bulb is: 'If I'm not able to ask for what I want of the person I've been married to for 25 years, does that have any link to why I'm not able to ask for what I want in the ...