Helena Bonham Carter kept "both houses" when she split from Tim Burton.
Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter
The former couple - who have children Billy, 16, and Nell, 11, together - famously had London homes next door to one another which were linked and the 'Crown' actress has praised her "generous" ex-partner for allowing her to keep the two properties, although it does make her feel like an "alien person" because she sleeps in one abode and the kids stay in another.
She said: "The double house is entirely civilised.
"It's very sensible -- and luckily I've kept both houses now. He was very generous.
"The double house is not really two houses, it's two small houses that have been put together. I did not have room to house children, put it that way. I lived in a cottage.
"And I did always think, 'God, wouldn't it be ideal if Mister Right lived next door because then I'd have room to put the bedrooms in?'
"So what was Tim's house is basically the family house and I kept my bedroom and my kitchen. But even then it feels like I'm an alien person because I live next door to my children, which is really none of anyone's ...The more mystique the better. It's a really magical place, everyone gets lost."
Before they split, Helena and Tim - who kept the couple's Grade II listed estate in Oxfordshire - worked together on a number of movies and the 53-year-old actress won't rule out working with the 'Planet of the Apes' director again, though she tries not to think about the future.
Asked about the possibility, she told the Sunday Times magazine: I think we'll just wait and see. I've got this thing, you only consider realities. You stay in the present. I'm trying to train my daughter not to let her mind bewitch her.
"It took me years to realise that my mind had been constantly lying to me for most of my life and I was arguing with fictions."
The former couple have stayed on good terms and they split custody of the children equally when their schedules allow it.
Helena said: "Tim has been away for a long time, so at the moment they're with me full time, but we're very amenable.
"Obviously the number one thing is not to say anything disrespectful [about the other parent]. Don't project your own feelings or tell them anything negative. I don't think I or Tim have ever done that."
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