Keeley Hawes describes 'Identity' role

Keeley Hawes has revealed that she likes playing a "flawed" character on Identity.

The Ashes To Ashes star appears in the ITV show as DSI Martha Lawrence, who forms a new unit to fight identity crime.

"Martha appears to be a really strong women, like most women who are everybody's boss," Hawes said. "They all have to appear to be a really strong woman regardless of whether they are or not."

She continued: "She's flawed, like everybody else. So there's a lot more than meets the eye when you see her."

Hawes suggested that Martha is pretending to be someone she is not but added: "Everybody is, in a way. You all have the odd face that you put on when you put your makeup on and go out, and you laugh, and you go home and you cry! I think everybody to a certain extent, they do. That's not necessarily a bad thing."

She added: "The thing I like is that Martha is flawed and she's really, really human underneath the tough cookie exterior."

Identity, which also stars Holly Aird and The Wire's Aiden Gillen, is expected to air on ITV in July.