Game of Thrones caused a stir when Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) was brutally raped by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) in season five.

And now Sophie has stood up to defend the HBO fantasy series' controversial sexual assault scenes, after it came under fire from fans who wanted to boycott the show.

Hitting back at the 'huge uproar', the actress, 21, explained we need to find ways to openly talk about sexual assault, in a candid interview with The Times Magazine.

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'We need to talk about sexual assault': Sophie Turner (pictured in Los Angeles, January 2017) has defended Game Of Thrones' controversial rape scenes after 'huge uproar'

The Game Of Thrones beauty told the publication: 'The more we talk about sexual assault the better, and screw the people who are saying we shouldn't be putting this on TV and screw the people who are saying they're going to boycott the show because of it.

'This sort of thing used to happen and it continues to happen now, and if we treat it as such a taboo and precious subject, then how are people going to have the strength to come out and feel comfortable saying that this has happened to them?'

The HBO series aired shocking scenes, which showed Sophie's character Sansa violently raped by Ramsay, midway through season five.

Shocking scenes: Viewers watched in horror when her character Sansa Stark was violently raped by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) on Game Of Thrones' season five

Reaction: At first the Northampton beauty (pictured in New York, May 2017) questioned whether the HBO series should have aired the rape

Viewers watched on horrified when the predator ripped her fur jacket and the back of her dress as he pushed her onto the bed before carrying out the attack.

In hindsight, Sophie explained she was 'naive' when she initially shot the scenes as sexual assault hadn't affected her or anyone she knows.

But when the show was faced with a backlash, her first response was the show shouldn't have aired the violent depiction of rape.

Confidence: But afterwards the actress (pictured in Kensington, February 2017) explained she believed the show was doing the right thing opening a platform for people to talk about assault

Growing up: The Northampton beauty first auditioned for the part at the tender age of 12 and the show was first aired when she was 15

Sophie added, telling the magazine: 'I shot the scene and in the aftermath there was this huge uproar that we would depict something like that on television. My first response was like, maybe we shouldn't have put that on screen at all.'

The Northampton beauty also joked that she got some of her sex education on the show as she first auditioned for the part at the tender age of 12 and the show was first aired when she was 15.

Game Of Thrones season seven will start on July 17 at 9pm in the UK, at the same time it will have a US broadcast at 2am.