The Brit has been appalled by reports suggesting she condones sex with underage children thanks to quotes that have been misinterpreted and misrepresented online.

Dormer, whose Game of Thrones character, Margaery, seduced and married 12-year-old King Tommen, played by 17-year-old actor Dean Charles Chapman, says, "I have been troubled and deeply saddened that answers I gave in a few recent interviews have been so twisted on the Internet, or so taken out of context, as to completely misrepresent my thoughts on certain subjects.

"I want to set the record straight. It is completely false and profoundly (irresponsible) of anyone to imply that I condone, in any shape or form, sex with a minor. That is child abuse. A serious criminal act, that is completely abhorrent to me.

"There are details from the (Game of Thrones) books that have not clearly translated to those onscreen, and, in this instance, I consider the wedding night scene with Tommen to be between Margaery and a naive 17 year old. If my writers on the show feel different, that’s their business, but I wouldn’t have played the scene if I believed different."

She adds, "I play a fictional character in the fictional, medieval world of Westeros. Most of the characters are aged up from the original characters created in the books by George R.R. Martin and played by older actors. Some fans may feel that I am too mature in years to be playing Margaery but whether I agree or not is irrelevant, because the point is, as professional actors, we must perform the text we are contracted to.

"The avid conversation regarding my older years over Dean Charles leads us to a glaring double standard in TV and film. 32-17 is a difference of 15 years. Yet there is no general uproar when, in prominent projects, the age difference is demonstrated equally or in even greater measure, only reversed in gender roles. It has certainly made me think about these social attitudes myself."