Emma Thompson has stepped forward to say that she's all for taking a year out of a marriage in what's known as a "sabbatical" if it is "done properly." The 54 year-old film star and mother-of-two, who is currently promoting her new comedy, The Love Punch, revealed to The Telegraph that she is a form advocate of "taking a break from each other" though not complicating things by not being with other people.

Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson Has No Qualms About Taking Time Off From A Relationship.

"I wonder whether this isn't the way forward for a lot of married couples? You look at it and think that maybe every marriage should have a kind of a sabbatical, that couples should be forced to take a break from each other every so often, if just for a year or so," Thompson revealed, adding "It's actually not a bad idea."

She reasoned "You need to go off perhaps, although not to be with other people. I think that would make things very difficult: All that free love stuff has been tried and tested and doesn't work and has been proven to make relationships very, very tricky. But I'm sure a sabbatical could work if it were done properly."

Emma Thompson BAFTAs
The 'Saving Mr. Banks' Star Can See The Benefits To Going On A Marriage "Sabbatical."

The Love Punch sees Thompson star alongside Pierce Brosnan as Richard and Kate, two middle class and middle aged parents who decide to take some time out from their marriage after they can no longer stand being with each other. Richard discovers that his investment firm has been the subject of a fraud scheme, stripping him of any assets including his and Kate's retirement fund.

Incensed, they decide to travel to Paris to target the man responsible and on the way discover that he has given his fiancée a diamond necklace worth $10 million. This sets the cogs turning for Kate, who suggests that they get their nest egg back by stealing the diamond and cashing it in.

Emma Thompson Greg Wise
Emma & Husband Greg Wise Have Been Married Since 2003.

However, to complete their task, the couple must not only reunite but recruit their best friends Jerry (Timothy Spall) and Penelope (Celia Imrie). The movie is touching, relatable and laugh out loud hilarious as the couple find out that their heist may just be the jolt to the heart their marriage needed.

The Love Punch is released today (18th April) in the UK.

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Watch 'The Love Punch' Trailer: