Jude Law insists he is a ''faithful soul''.

The 'Anna Karenina' actor - who embarked on a romance with Sienna Miller shortly after splitting from wife Sadie Frost, and whose engagement to the 'Factory Girl' star was called off amid allegations he had cheated on her with his children's nanny - believes he is misunderstood by many people and can't understand why he has been branded a ''womaniser''.

He said: ''I've been in committed long-term relationships most of my life and I'm a faithful soul. That's why terms like 'womaniser' and 'sex symbol' don't really apply to me. It just goes to show that people don't understand me at all.''

Jude - who has children Rafferty, 16, Iris, 12, and 10-year-old Rudy with Sadie, as well as Sophia, three, from a brief relationship with Samantha Burke - says he is a very ''sociable'' person with a generous attitude.

He said: ''I'm someone who loves to give. I'm very sociable. Respect for others is very important to me. My father often told me: 'Be aware that there's people around you who are better than you and people who are worse than you.' I think that's a good rule to live by.''

The actor can next be seen in 'Anna Karenina', in which he plays the titular character's husband, who is cheated on, and says he took on the role to avoid typecasting.

He told Germany's Cosmopolitan magazine: ''I consciously decided to take that part, because it would be ridiculous to play the juvenile lover at 39.''