Luke Evans wants to start a family.

The 43-year-old actor – who is openly gay but private about his relationships – is thinking about “slowing down” in his professional life because he is ready to settle down and doesn’t feel his current working lifestyle would be suitable for the domestic set-up he longs for.

He told Red magazine: “I’d like to slow down. I want to get a dog and start a family, and you can’t do that if you’re on the road 10 months of the year.”

The ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ actor is a “massive romantic” and though he wants to find lasting love, he’s aware that’s not easy to achieve.

Asked what he’s learned about love over the years, he said: “That loving someone is a wonderful thing and falling out of love is probably the most painful thing of all.

“As you grow older, you realise how fragile falling in love is and how much you have to protect yourself…

“I want the perfect relationship. I will have it and make sure it lasts as long as possible.”

Luke previously admitted he doesn't like the idea of being an "old dad" and is looking forward to "passing on [his experiences] to a new generation when he has a child of his own.

He said: “I thought about it many times and as I get older I’m thinking maybe I should get on and do it. I don’t want to be an old dad . . . but I would like to be a dad.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction to passing on your experiences and rearing a strong, open-minded, kind, respectful human being who can go out in the world and do something good.”