House of Cards is currently filming its sixth and final season with Robin Wright in the lead role following the departure of Kevin Spacey, something which perhaps affected one co-star more than any other.

Michael Kelly, who has played Francis Underwood's loyal aide Doug Stamper since the show began in 2013, has spoken publicly about Spacey for the first time since he was fired after facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Describing the situation as “heartbreaking,” Kelly told Variety: “It’s such a mixed bag of emotions because I was with that guy every single day.”

Acknowledging this as the first time he's willingly spoken about Spacey on the record, he added: “To go back to the same stages, to the same sets, slightly altered with a new President obviously, but to go back to those sets and all of a sudden be with completely different people, it was a strange feeling. I don’t even know how to put it into words because you know one thing for so long and then all of a sudden it’s a completely different world you’re living in.

“There’s obviously a million emotions that I went through, that I processed during this whole thing. I don’t want to talk too much about it because it was heartbreaking in so many ways.”

TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Show all 16 1 /16 TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Jessica Jones Starring:​ Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Tennant Start date: 8 March, Netflix Netflix TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for The OA Starring: Brit Marling, Emory Cohen, Phyllis Smith, Patrick Gibson, Jason Isaacs Start date: 15 March, Netflix TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Trust Starring:Hilary Swank, Brendan Fraser, Donald Sutherland, Harris Dickinson, Anna Chancellor Start date: 25 March 2018, AMC (Sky Atlantic air date TBA) FX Productions TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for A Series of Unfortunate Events Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Malina Weissman, Patrick Warburton, Lucy Punch, Tony Hale, Nathan Fillion Start date: 30 March, Netflix TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Atlanta Robbin Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Malina Weissman, Patrick Warburton, Lucy Punch, Tony Hale, Nathan Fillion Start date: 30 March, FOX (UK air date TBA) Matthias Clamer/FX TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Legion Starring: Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Jean Smart, Jemaine Clement Start date: 17 April, FOX 20th Television TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for The Alienist Starring: Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning, Brian Geraghty Start date: 19 April, Netflix Warner Bros. Television Distribution TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Westworld Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, James Marsden Start date: 21 April, HBO TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Fear the Walking Dead Starring: Kim Dickens, Lennie James, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam Carey, Colman Domingo, Maggie Grace Start date: 23 April, AMC on BT TV Richard Foreman, Jr/AMC TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for The Handmaid's Tale Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Samira Riley, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd Start date: 25 April, Hulu (Channel 4 air date TBA) Hulu TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Better Call Saul Start date: TBA, Netflix Netflix TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Call the Midwife series 7 Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Kate Lamb, Stephen McGann, Leonie Elliott Start date: TBA, BBC One TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for House of Cards Start date: TBA, Netflix Netflix TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for 13 Reasons Why Start date: TBA, Netflix TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for This Is Us season 2 Start date: TBA, Channel 4 Ron Batzdorff/NBC TV preview 2018: Everything to look out for Unforgotten series 3 Start date: TBA, ITV1

Kelly revealed he hasn't spoken to his former co-star since his firing by Netflix in November, responding when asked: “I haven’t, no. All I know is what I hear, but I don’t know. It’s tough. You go from talking to someone often to not at all, and in any profession, in anything, circumstances removed, what happened removed, it’s strange … and I’m still processing. I haven’t formulated any opinion.

“I think I’m still going through a lot, processing the whole thing. It’s tough.”

There's no word on when fans can expect to see the new season but a recent trailer showed off newly-elected President Claire Underwood in the oval office promising: “We're only just getting started.”