Naomi Watts says breastfeeding helped her lose weight

Actress Naomi Watts has said the pressures of motherhood are the reason for her slim post-pregnancy figure.

The 'Funny Games' star, 39, admits she put in little effort to shed the extra weight she had gained during pregnancy - because nursing her son, Alexander, solved that problem for her after she gave birth to him last July.

She said: "Breastfeeding - that's how you drop weight. Even though you are just eating all the time, he is eating too".

And Watts, who is engaged to Alexander's father Liev Schreiber, was stunned by how difficult motherhood really is.

She adds: "My son is a true joy, but motherhood is harder than I thought. The biggest surprise was the lack of sleep. He is still struggling to sleep through the night".