Helena Bonham Carter loses stress because of classes

Helena Bonham Carter says going to parenting classes has helped her be stricter with her partner Tim Burton.

The 44-year-old actress - who has two children, Billy, seven, and three-year-old Nell, with the director - has been attending Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting seminars at The New Learning Centre in London and as well as improving her mothering skills she insists the classes have allowed her to let Tim fend for himself more.

She said: "Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting is the answer to almost everything. It helped me tremendously with the kiddies - Billy Ray and Nell - and I also found it invaluable in dealing with Tim. It's terrific he's a changed man. What it does is make people think for themselves instead of me, the mother, doing everything for them. Tim used to say, 'Where's such and such?' And I would scurry around looking for it. Now, I make him do it - and the same with the kiddies. It just stops you running around doing every single thing for them."

Now the 'Alice in Wonderland' star - who has been nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in 'The King's Speech' - is such a more relaxed parent she believes she could live longer because of the lack of stress in her life.

She joked to the Daily Mail newspaper: "It has changed my life. I think because it has taken the stress out of parenting, or some of it at least. I'll probably live 10 years longer."