Richard Gere opens up about painful divorce

Actor Richard Gere has opened up about his painful divorce from his wife of 11 years Carey Lowell, revealing he used his emotional turmoil to help with a new film role.

The "Pretty Woman" star separated from the Bond girl last year and threw himself into work, taking on the role of a homeless man living on the streets of New York for new movie "Time Out of Mind", reports contactmusic.com.

During a career tribute at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in the Big Apple, Gere admitted he channelled the pain from his personal life into his onscreen performance, telling the audience: "What probably really helped was I was right in the middle of a divorce, so the emotions were right on the surface."

Gere married Lowell in 2002. He was previously wed to supermodel Cindy Crawford.