Ryan Phillippe wasn't prepared for the attention surrounding his marriage to Reese Witherspoon.

The 'Stop Loss' actor, who has two children, eight-year-old Ava and four-year-old Deacon with ex-wife Reese, admits the fame that came with being the actress' husband soon "took a toll" on his life.

He said, "I fooled myself into believing it would be easier than it was. To have people speculating constantly about the state of your relationship, casting aspersions and telling lies. It took more of a toll than I was immediately aware of."

Ryan also revealed he finds it hard to deal with paparazzi photographers following his children.

He added to Britain's The Times magazine, "Ava is aware of photographers and it makes her anxious, which is partly my fault. When Ava was very young, I'd get visibly angry at the paparazzi. She was my first child, and my instinct was to protect her."

"Since Deacon's birth I've realized you've got to make it seem like less of a big deal. It breaks my heart to hear Ava say, 'My friends at school saw a picture of me in a magazine and they made fun because I was carrying a blanket.'"

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