David Duchovny fears he can't talk openly about sex anymore after checking into rehab in 2008 for a carnal addiction.

The X-Files star almost wrecked his marriage to actress Tea Leoni and faced public disgrace when he had to go public with his problem - and now he has decided not to talk about sex in interviews.

He says, "I don't want to be as flip as I was in the past. It's an area that's fraught with... It's not something I want to discuss so lightly."

And he urges fans and critics alike not to pass him off as a pervert because of his past problems.

He tells Rolling Stone magazine he's actually quite conservative, and often challenges the writers of his sex-fuelled TV show Californication when he thinks they've gone too far.

He adds, "I'm the one to say something is too crass. I turn into the house prude. I'll say, 'This is just nasty!'"