Watch as Rivals star reveals moment that WASN’T in the script after stripping naked for x-rated scene with Emily Atack

RIVALS star Alex Hassell has revealed a moment from his X-rated scene with Emily Atack wasn't in the script.

Alex, 44, stars alongside , 34, and several other big names in the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's best-selling novel.

One of the most famous scenes from Rivals involves Alex and Emily's characters Rupert and Sarah stripping off for a game of tennis.

In the live version of the scene Rupert is seen cartwheeling across the court completely naked.

And during an appearance on This Morning he confessed that the action was spur of the moment.

Host Ben Shephard said: "You weren't wearing a lot, a lot..."

Alex replied: "No, I wasn't. I don't know what to say about that really other than they paid me for it."

After he revealed behind-the-scenes pampering - including having his eyelashes curled - co-host Cat Deeley said: "No wonder you were cartwheeling, naked, across the tennis court.

"That wasn't essentially in the script, was it?"

Alex replied sheepishly: "It wasn't in the script, no. It was a touch of improv.

"We did the naked tennis scene and everyone's quite nervous because there's all these rules about who can look at the monitor and what you can show of your body.

"And I thought as a way of maybe breaking the ice I would do a naked cartwheel. As I was halfway over I was like, 'I think I might be cancelled for this, I've broken loads of HR rules'."

Rivals is a raunchy drama set in the 1980s in the fictional countryside county of Rutshire.

Adapted from Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel of the same name, it follows the intense rivalry between TV station controller Tony and charismatic ex-Olympian and Conservative MP.