Idris Elba says fame isn't as "fun" as it looks from the outside

He said: "It looks amazing from the outside, but there's a lot of stuff that happens in the public eye that's not fun. I'm not allowed to just go out and get drunk and have a rant and get kicked out of a pub and then feel bad the next day. Part of your duty is to be an example."

Idris also spoke about the backlash he received when he announced last year he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The 49-year-old actor was accused of "being paid" to "fake" his symptoms by people who didn't believe the virus was a threat, and the star said he found it "really tough" to endure.

He added: "The good favour that some people in the public eye get, which I definitely benefit from, was gone in an instant. In an instant. People that loved me one moment absolutely f****** hated me the next.

"It was like, 'You're fake; you're being paid.' No one really believed.

It was really a tough time."

But now, Idris says he's "very thankful" for getting through his battle with the virus, and has vowed to never "pretend" to be someone he's not.

The 'Harder They Fall' star told Esquire magazine: "So where I am now, you're looking at a man that's very thankful. You're looking at a man that's very reflective of what's happened over the last 18 months.

You're looking at a man that doesn't really have time to waste on pretending to be anything but what I am. Who I am and what I am."