Hugh Dancy is "really glad" Claire Danes had an "inadequate" one-night stand.

Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes

Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes

The 'Homeland' actress recently recalled how she had a brief fling with an unnamed man shortly before realising how she felt about the 'Hannibal' star and the 44-year-old actor joked he's relieved the other guy didn't wow her in the bedroom or things could have been very different.

Sirius XM host Michelle Collins said: "Do you have a response to your wife, who I'm sure is in the next room, about having to sleep without someone else to realise that you, lovely Hugh Dancy, is the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with?"

Hugh replied: "I can only say, I'm really glad that my wife chose to have a one night stand with an inadequate lover.

"We were not in a relationship when that happened. She was single. I was single. We were both clearly thinking about it."

Claire previously recalled how, when she met Hugh on the set of 2007 movie 'Evening', it came at a time she had vowed to stay single, having been "in relationships from the moment puberty hit".

However, she went on a date with an unnamed guy and they had a one-night stand and, after her "palate was cleansed", she realised her feelings for her co-star were more than just what they were depicting on screen.

The 41-year-old star recalled returning to set and thinking: "Oh s**t! I think I'm going to marry this person."

The couple went on to marry in 2009 and have two sons together, Cyrus, seven, and Rowan, 20 months.

Hugh recently co-starred in the final season of 'Homeland' and his wife found it "so hot" watching him work, she used to visit the set on her days off.

She previously admitted: "That was such a nice way to end the show. I didn't have a single scene with him, but on my days off, I would go to his set.

"He's very good. I don't exactly forget that, but we don't talk about acting much, so it was a really nice reminder.

"[Watching your partner do something they are really good at], is so hot."