Tea Leoni has ''earned every line'' on her face.

The 49-year-old actress - who stars in political drama 'Madam Secretary' as America's Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord - is proud of her looks and the experiences that have aged her over the years.

She said: ''I earned every line on my face. Every mistake, every sunburn, every stress, every beautiful moment. Every minute of a 30-hour labour - that was the first one - I'm wearing it. And I wonder why that isn't considered, in its own way, gorgeous.''

The blonde beauty has two daughter Madelaine West, 16, and son Kyd Miller, 13, with ex-husband David Duchovny and says co-parenting, whilst working on set for 12-hour days, means makes her cherish every moment she gets to spend with her children.

She told Emmy magazine: ''I am just staring at my children all the time. The other day they said, 'Mom, it's creepy.' I'm like, 'I just want to watch you watch TV - I'm desperate for this time.' And they're like, 'Seriously, knock it off.'

''I actually believe my job and John Kerry's [the current US Secretary of State] job are comparable in terms of the hours.''