Helena Bonham Carter has revealed that Tim Burton was "sketching" while she was giving birth to their child.

The Alice in Wonderland star explained that her former partner had a habit of drawing "through momentous occasions".

Speaking in Tim's new documentary series Tim Burton: Life in the Line, Helena said that the filmmaker and animator had even picked up his sketchbook in the delivery room.

"He literally draws his way through life," she said. "Even if he's with you, he would be sketching. Even through momentous occasions."

The Harry Potter actress continued, "I'd be having a child. He would still sketch. Literally giving birth. We've got our whole lives sketched."

Helena and Tim were in a relationship from 2001 to 2014 and share two children, son Billy, 22, and daughter Nell, 17.

"It was definitely an adventure," Helena, 59, said of their relationship. "We went through 1000s of drawings before we decided to call it a day."

Elsewhere in the interview, Helena shared that she remains grateful for their time together. The pair collaborated on numerous films, including Planet of the Apes, Corpse Bride, Big Fish, Alice in Wonderland and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

"He gave me some great characters, including the children," she gushed. "But he gave me the chance to create character where, 'til then, I probably hadn't been given the chance to."

Describing the Beetlejuice director, 67, Helena noted that he is "not really at rest".

"He dances in the air. So, as long as he can channel that energy into something, onto a line on the page, that's his anchor," the actress stated. "But there is a real life in that line. That's where he's happiest. His symbols - the curl, stitch marks, spots, stripes - people relate to it. That's all he wants."

She added, "And all he wants is to carry on drawing or creating or making a film or scribbling on a napkin. That's all he asks."