Gwyneth Paltrow: Rumours helped Martin romance

Gwyneth Paltrow went on a date with Chris Martin because they were constantly romantically linked.

The actress has recalled how speculation she was romancing the Coldplay frontman was rife before they had even met in 2002. When Chris made a joke about his love life on stage, the rumours increased – but in the end it brought them together.

"It's funny because people had started writing that we were going out and we had never even met. And then he was in Los Angeles doing a concert and an actress that he had a crush on was supposed to come to the concert. When she didn't show up, he was so annoyed that he said, 'Oh, this is for my girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow,'" she laughed to British newspaper The Sun. "Then people were saying, 'What's going on?' I was like, 'I've never met this guy, I've no idea!'

"And because of that, because people were writing about it, we ended up meeting at a concert and there you go. So, thank you!"

Gwyneth was eventually introduced to Chris at one of his shows in London. She claims the British musician was the one to instigate a meeting.

"Because they had written so much in the press, his assistant came to my seat at the concert," she explained. "They said, 'This is so crazy, but will you come back and say hello afterwards?' And that was it."

The pair ended up falling madly in love and married in December 2003. They now raise two children, Apple and Moses, and split their time between London and Los Angeles.

Gwyneth, 40, prefers living in the UK as she feels she her kids can enjoy a normal upbringing.

"In New York these days it's impossible to maintain privacy. It's really gotten extreme," she said. "In London we have a very mellow family lifestyle and it's a great city to raise kids in, I think.

"Also, English people are not impressed - everyone treats you normally and it's good."

Gwyneth's children are growing up fast and beginning to understand more about their famous parents. Her eight-year-old daughter Apple recently revealed she had heard a Coldplay song at school.

"The other day Apple came home from school and she was like, 'Dad, they were playing Paradise at school,' for some gym thing," Gwyneth explained.

"So she's just understanding now. I mean, I think she always understood but now she's getting more and my son is getting more.

"It's always a little weird. I think my daughter doesn't love seeing me on screen and I understand because it's like I'm not all hers. So I understand why."