Los Angeles, Mar 15 (IANS): Actor Jude Law says people "assume" he is a playboy even over seven years after he cheated on actress girlfriend Sienna Miller with his children's nanny.

The 40-year-old actor has three children - Rafferty, 16, Iris, 12, and Rudy, 10, with ex-wife Sadie Frost and three-year-old daughter Sophia with model Samantha Burke. He earned the tag of being a lothario, especially after cheating on Miller.

"People assume that I'll be like that. You have to separate it and say, 'Well I know it's not me.' You learn to live with this dichotomy of who you are and who they're saying you are," Law said in an interview with ShortList magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Recalling the frenzy that his love life caused in 2005 and thereafter, Law said: "That period was horrible. It was just boring. Boring, shallow and infuriating. I think it managed to (overshadow my acting) for a while, unfortunately. I was dragged, kicking and screaming, into the swamp, the mire."

However, he believes his last few roles - including his portrayal of John Watson in the "Sherlock Holmes" franchise and his appearance in the critically acclaimed "Anna Karenina", have allowed him to be taken seriously as an actor again.

"I realised quickly I'd have to keep my head down and hope that the work would win out. It seems to have so far," he said.