Actress Jennifer Aniston has spoken of the pressure to have children while trying to pursue a successful career.

The former Friends star said she is hurt by repeated accusations that she has sacrificed the chance of motherhood for fame and fortune in Hollywood.

Aniston, 45, said it was wrong for people to assume that women who haven't chosen motherhood are somehow perceived to have failed in life.

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Sultry: Jennifer Aniston smoulders for the camera as she takes part in a new photoshoot for Allure magazine

Speaking out: The actress, pictured here with fiance Justin Theroux in November in Los Angeles, spoke about the constant speculation surrounding whether she will have children

'I don't like [the pressure] that people put on me, on women, that you've failed yourself as a female because you haven't procreated,' she said.

Denial: The actress was forced to deny she was pregnant after being pictured on the red carpet in August, appearing to show a bump

'I don't think it's fair. You may not have a child come out of your vagina, but that doesn't mean that you aren't mothering - dogs, friends, friends, children.'

Since her split with husband Brad Pitt in 2005 Anniston has been the focus of intense media scrutiny in the U.S.

Almost every month a celebrity magazine in the US speculates that she is pregnant, getting married or engaged in a row with Angelina Jolie who recently married her ex-husband and has six children.

In August she was forced to issue a denial that she was pregnant after photos of her on the red carpet appeared to show a slight bulge in her dress.

In an interview for Allure magazine Aniston said the accusation that she has put her career ahead of motherhood was the most hurtful thing she has faced since becoming one of Hollywood's most recognisable stars.

'Oh, God, so many painful things. The accusation that I've put my career before the want, the desire to be a mother,' she said.

' This continually is said about me: that I was so career-driven and focused on myself; that I don't want to be a mother, and how selfish that is.'

Aniston said the scrutiny feels like an unfair pressure on women, and not just her.

'I have a lot of friends who decided not to have children, who can't have children, or are trying but are having a difficult time,' she told the magazine.

'There's all sorts of reasons why children aren't in people's lives, and no one has the right to assume.

'Its quite rude, insulting, and ignorant.

Aniston said she had learned to put up with the rumours but still finds it hard to take.

'Even saying it gets me a little tight in my throat,' she said.

The actress didn't say in the interview if she wanted children, but spoke glowingly about her fiancé of two years, actor Justin Theroux.

Cover girl: Aniston spoke to Allure magazine and also pose topless alongside her hairstylist Chris McMillan

Aniston says her 43-year-old fiancé is right by her every step of the way. In the interview, she spoke glowingly of Theroux.

'We're equals,' she said. 'He's a nurturer. He is so fiercely loyal. Beyond protective. I mean, the way he takes care of our dogs, he takes care of me, he takes care of friends.'

She refused to be drawn on any planned wedding, adding: 'We do talk about it all the time.'

Former Hollywood golden couple: Aniston with her then-husband Brad Pitt at the 2004 Oscars; since they split, Pitt has gone on to have a large family with Angelina Jolie

Happy family: Brad and Angelina with their brood, seen here in 2008 in Japan



