Benedict Cumberbatch is a "very homely" person and misses his family when he's working.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter

The 'Doctor Strange' actor insists he doesn't feel like a "huge Hollywood star" because he is very down to earth and loves nothing more than a quiet night in.

He said: "I don't think of myself as this huge Hollywood star. I have a new family and I have close friends who have known me since I first started and don't think of me like that.

"They're always happy to remind me who I am, which is good. I don't find it difficult to stay grounded. Every time I come back to London, I love the feeling - it's my home town and I'm very happy with my creature comforts. I'm actually quite a homely person, although I still enjoy being on the red carpet."

The 40-year-old actor's wife Sophie Hunter is pregnant with their second child, a sibling for 16-month-old Christopher, but he insists their expanding family won't mean he's planning to ease off his heavy workload.

He told Closer magazine: "It won't be slowing me down. Keeping fit seems to be key. Adopting a physical regime for 'Doctor Strange' really helped, not just for the obligatory shirt-off moment. It was all about keeping healthy for my new family."

The 'Sherlock' star recently praised his parents Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham for being the "first heroes" he ever had.

He said: "They are the first heroes I ever had in my life and I don't mean that in a sappy way, it's the truth. They, despite whatever is ever made out about it, worked incredibly hard to be able to afford an education that in most circumstances you could only dream of and I was very aware of that.

"There were lean times as well as the feasts - I saw all the pitfalls of not being able to control your social calendar as much as your income or where you earn your income, the peripatetic nature of it all, whether it was touring or filming or whatever."