Being an international film star might seem like a glamorous and guilt-free profession – until you are a mother, that is. British actress Emily Mortimer has spoken out about the stress of raising a family while working in film and television.

The star of Shutter Island and Match Point, who co-wrote and stars in the comedy series Doll & Em on Sky Living this year, has stressed how hard working in TV can be for mothers. In an interview as part of the Observer Magazine's 'Women in TV special', she mentions the guilt she feels at leaving her family behind whenever she goes to work and the desire she has to have her two children with her when filming.

"There's a shame involved in going off to work which I try to talk myself out of but is nonetheless always a little bit there," says Mortimer, 42. "In recent months, I've been shooting The Newsroom and it's long hours and a very demanding schedule."

Mortimer also discusses the recurrent feeling she gets that she's not doing "a proper job" and might be better off as a stay-at-home mother, comparing her career to a dirty secret. "Even though my earnings from it help to support my family, I still struggle with the weird feeling that I'm indulging a hobby rather than doing a proper job, and that it might be better if I just stayed at home," she says.

"I don't feel proud of this feeling. I hope my daughter will grow up to have the courage to write a TV show on her own if she wants and not feel unnecessary confusion about doing a great job while having a family at the same time."

One of the things that made Doll & Em so special, Mortimer adds, was that she could bring her family to work with her instead of leaving them at home. "Everyone was involved, from my husband (who produced it) and my kids to my mum, nephew and brother-in-law. We all got to be together."

It took Mortimer 10 years to create Doll & Em – her first TV show – with her best friend Dolly Wells, whom she has known since she was four. The show tells the story of a Hollywood actress who hires her childhood friend to be her personal assistant while making a film in Los Angeles. The semi-improvised piece, which has been regarded as a funny and realistic portrayal of female friendship by critics, sees Mortimer and Wells play fictional versions of themselves.

"I don't think I'd have been able to write a TV series on my own, I wouldn't have had the nerve. If I've learned anything from making Doll & Em, it's that you get confidence from collaborating with people you love and admire."

Mortimer became close to Wells in her 20s. When she moved to the US to live with her actor husband Alessandro Nivola, the friends used writing as an excuse to visit each other.

"Dolly and I had four children in the time it took to get something we'd written produced. By the time we ditched the skiing script and finally came up with a good idea, we found we'd learned how to write together."