Gwyneth Paltrow is embracing Judaism with a new vigour following her split with pop star Chris Martin.

The daughter of Jewish film producer Bruce Paltrow and Christian actress Blythe Danner, has been a follower of Kabbalah for some time.

But it has been reported recently that she has grown even closer to Judaism since she and the Coldplay singer announced what they described as their "conscious uncoupling" earlier this year having "worked hard for well over a year" to save their marriage.

The 41-year-old Oscar-winner and food writer was brought up in a mixed faith home, but only really discovered her Jewish background while filming the US version of the TV programme Who Do You Think You Are?

After finding that she came from a long line of influential East European rabbis, she has even described herself as a "Jewish princess" .

This should not come as a complete surprise. During a dinner hosted by the Community Security Trust in 2011 she confirmed that her children were being raised in a Jewish environment.

And last year she referred to herself as "the original Jewish mother" when promoting her cookbook It's All Good.

"Creating a meal for family and friends, sitting together, eating, laughing and talking, that's when I'm happy," she said.

She won a best actress Oscar for Shakespeare in Love in 1998, an Emmy for a 2011 appearance in the TV show Glee two years later and was named last year as People magazine's "Most Beautiful Woman".