Anna Friel has taken a break from filming the second series of ITV drama Marcella to cuddle her puppy Maggie May.

The actress will resume the title role for a new eight-part series, which will begin with the discovery of a body in a wall.

Anna Friel on location with Maggie May (Yui Mok/PA)

Friel was photographed in between takes on location in London playing with her pet.

Anna Friel enjoys a break (Yui Mok/PA)

She first introduced the dog to her fans in March when she shared a picture of Maggie May on Instagram, saying how much she missed her and her daughter Gracie.

She captioned the photo: “Our Maggie May. 15 weeks old on Tuesday.

“I miss her so much and that missing doesn’t even touch the sides compared to my Gracie. Xxx when I am away I appreciate even more all my beautiful pack!”

She gave the dog a big kiss (Yui Mok/PA)

She shared another picture of her pet in May, when she wrote: “Home . Spoilt girl! Taken by my favourite person in the world @gracie_friel . Yes the fluffy thing is Maggie May the now dog, oh how she has grown.”

Filming on the second series of Marcella began earlier this month. An air date is yet to be announced.