Mark Wahlberg opens up about his faith as he talks about what he's given up

Mark Wahlberg opened up about his Christian faith as he discussed the things he's given up as part of his religion.

Wahlberg caught the attention of millions of people this weekend as he appeared in a Super Bowl ad promoting a Catholic meditation app called Hallow.

The ad featured Wahlberg sitting in a church and praying to God, which resulted in a surge of downloads as people sought to give the app a go.

In the wake of the ad's success, Wahlberg appeared on the show Fox and Friends along with actor Jonathan Roumie.

Both actors lead worldwide prayer meditations on the app, and they opened up about some of the comments they often get about religion.

Wahlberg explained that he's often asked about having a 'normal schedule', but he makes sure to do any personal tasks, including praying, before his family wakes up.

Fox and Friends

"My thing is, if I'm at home, I do all the things that I need to do that are personal time, before the kids and my wife get up.

"I always get eight hours of sleep. It's not like I'm burning the candle at both ends, per se. I'm getting the rest that I need. In a perfect world, I'll go to bed at 7-7:30, wake up at 3-3:30 and then do my things, get those out of the way before I start my day with my family or work. … I have a lot to be grateful for."

As well as missing out on morning lie-ins, Wahlberg spoke about how people often ask about what else he's giving up for Lent - which begins today (14 February) with Ash Wednesday.

With ashes on his head in the sign of a cross, Wahlberg said: "People are always asking, what are you giving up? I've given many things up for Lent, whether it be… alcohol or something… sweet."

Fox and Friends

However, the actor went on to explain that the period wasn't just about giving up something he loved.

He continued: "For me, it's really about trying to do more… trying to be better, trying to grow as a person, as a servant. God, a father, a husband… as an example… and using all that real-life experience that I have."

Wahlberg added that it couldn't be better to have Ash Wednesday fall on Valentine's Day, saying: "Where do you get more love than with the Lord and… in a time where there's such a disconnect? We need things to bring people together and the power of prayer is doing that."