Rachel Weisz has admitted she was a difficult student at school and struggled with "anti-authority issues."

The actress, 41, says she was even told to leave school at one point because of her disruptive behaviour.

"I was asked to leave North London Collegiate, but my mum doesn’t like me to say I was expelled," Rachel told the Sunday Telegraph. "I didn’t try to burn down the school or anything like that; it was just anti-authority issues. I didn’t think the teachers had the right to tell me what to do.

"I would just disobey, talk in the classroom, get very bad grades. I was not a good person to have in the classroom, to put it mildly."

The screen icon said it was an English teacher who eventually motivated her to turn her life around, leading her to win a place at Cambridge University.

"Miss Gough, who later became headmistress, completely inspired me," she explained. "She saw through me and she scared me and I guess none of the other teachers did that. We read a lot of poetry. I started to read everything and ended up studying English at Cambridge."

Rachel, who is due to appear in action thriller The Bourne Legacy next year, stunned commentators by getting married to Daniel Craig in June - few people were even aware she was dating the Bond star.

"I'm sorry," she told the newspaper, on the topic of her surprise romance. "I'm a newlywed. I'm still a blushing bride and it's really private. I can't tell you anything. Come back to me later."

Rachel has a five-year-old son, Henry, from a previous relationship with Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky.

Rachel Weisz: I was a rebel