Gillian Anderson gives candid sexual admission and emphasizes importance of 'fantasy' in the bedroom

Whether she means to be or not, Gillian Anderson is undeniably a sex icon.

It might be from playing the sexy and sultry character Dana Scully in The X Files or the sex-positive mom Jean Milburn in Sex Education, but admittedly there's just something about the 56-year-old actress that makes her so irresistible.

With this in mind, Anderson recently released a book titled Want: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous, which includes a series of anonymous women from around the globe discussing their personal sexual fantasies put together by the Hollywood star.

Following the book's release on September 5, Anderson recently featured on the New York Times' Modern Love podcast where she read an essay titled 'On Tinder, Off Sex' by Ali Rachel Pearl.

The essay shares one woman's experience of 'secondary abstinence' after two years of having no sex - or 'accidental abstinence', as she put it.

After reading it, Anderson was asked if she could relate to any of Pearl's sentiments.

Gillian Anderson released a book at the beginning of the month (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

"There's certainly been times in my life between relationships when I was single and suddenly decided that, actually, I could be more active in the sex arena than I was," the actress shared.

Seemingly saying that her own period of abstinence wasn't before she didn't want sex but simply because she didn't have a partner to do it with, Anderson went on: "But I know that place of feeling like it wasn't something that I wasn't doing. It was something that wasn't doing to me, you know, in some way."

"I think people can get in the habit of that. I think it's an easy habit to get into, and just kind of put it in a box," The Fall star added.

Elsewhere in the podcast she discussed sexual fantasies, which Anderson deemed as a 'healthy' thing to have in relationships in particular as they can 'bring people together'.

"I think a fantasy life in a relationship is really healthy," she said. "I mean, some people can't reach climax without a fantasy helping to get them there."

Anderson continued: "I would also say that sharing it with one's partner is an incredibly healthy thing to do and can potentially enhance the sex that a couple can have.

"If you feel that you can put yourself in a vulnerable enough position to be able to share it, because they're very intimate details, and it can only bring people together."