Sarandon: 'UNICEF work changed my life'

Susan Sarandon has revealed that her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has changed her life for the better.

In an interview with Parade, the actress explained that her advocacy for children around the globe has altered her outlook on the world.

"It's been really eye-opening," she said. "The reason that they send celebrities into these places is so that you can come back and speak in the first-person about what you've seen."

Sarandon, who won a 'Best Actress' Oscar for her performance in 1995's Dead Man Walking, added that she is hopeful that her work with UNICEF will provide more than just a public profile for certain global issues.

"Besides that obvious reason, it's just such an education for me to really get to be in people's homes or huts and to talk to people and be able to ask questions and understand something on a personal level as opposed to just reading about it. I'm very, very grateful for the opportunities that I've had," she noted.

The star also revealed that she plans to bring her oldest son Jack along on a future fact-finding trip.

In recent years, UNICEF has enlisted numerous celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker and Selena Gomez to act as its Goodwill Ambassadors.

I never expected Robbins split

Susan Sarandon has admitted that she never expected to split from her long-time partner Tim Robbins.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the Academy Award winner remarked that she was surprised by the public support following her break-up with Robbins.

"People were coming up to me in the street and saying, 'I cried and cried when I heard'," she said. "Well, I was sadder! I didn't think it would ever happen, either."

Sarandon noted that she and the Shawshank Redemption actor always believed that never marrying kept their relationship fresh, but she is now unsure if their approach to their partnership was correct.

She explained: "I've always liked the idea of choosing to be with somebody. I thought that if you didn't get married, you wouldn't take each other for granted as easily. I don't know if after 20-something years that was still true."

While she initially found the split very difficult to get through, Sarandon added that she now has a more positive take on ending her relationship with Robbins.

"You bring people into your life at certain times. Maybe you have a relationship to have children, and you realise that it's fulfilled after that point."

Nation mourned Robbins split

Susan Sarandon has revealed that she was approached by several fans after her split from ex-partner Tim Robbins.

The actress - who ended her relationship with Robbins after 23 years last December - admitted that she felt a sense of responsibility towards the public over how their lives together were presented.

"The nation mourned. I had a lot of people who came up to me and were not as upset as I was but were definitely upset," she told New York magazine.

"I did feel a sense of responsibility, because I knew that people had a certain idea of how I was and who we were. But on your deathbed, it's not really going to matter how those people felt."

Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins split up

Actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have announced their breakup after more than 20 years together, People.com reports. “Actress Susan Sarandon and her partner of 23 years, actor Tim Robbins have announced that they separated over the summer,” Sarandon’s publicist said in a statement. “No further comments will be made.” The longtime couple have two children together, Jack, 20, and Miles, 17.