Gwyneth Paltrow has joked she avoids putting her children in the face of someone with flu.

The Hollywood actress has daughter Apple, eight, and son Moses, six, with her husband Chris Martin.

Gwyneth is famed for her healthy living, but does expose her kids to certain dirt and grime.

"When they come home from school, I ask them to wash their hands but I think it's good for them to be in dirt and germs because that's how you build an immune system - by getting sick," she told the UK edition of OK! magazine.

"I mean, if someone has the flu, I don't put my kid in their face, but it's an inevitable fact of life."

Gwyneth has revealed how she is dividing her family and Hollywood lifestyles.

"I just had the summer off with the children and they start school tomorrow," she explained in the interview. "So I'm going to leave here, go home and get ready for the first day of school.

"Then I'll look for interesting, supporting-sized parts. I have not starred in a movie [as the lead] since I had my daughter because I would never see my children and they would hate it."