Theron stars in action comedy Hancock with Will Smith
Actress Charlize Theron has said she will never marry her partner of seven years because of the relationship her parents had.
She told Elle magazine how her mother killing her abusive alcoholic father has put her off tying the knot.
"As a kid I didn't dream about my wedding day because what I knew of marriage wasn't exactly the stuff of dreams," the 32-year-old said.
However, she describes her boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, as "beyond special".
She added: "He can inspire me and he's also the sexiest man ever. When I'm going to see him I get all fluttery in my tummy."
South African-born Theron had an unsettled upbringing.
Her parents' marriage was rocky, and when she was 15, her mother shot her father in self-defence, after he threatened to kill them both in a drunken rage. Her mother was never charged.
Their marriage left Theron cautious about relationship going wrong.
"I also don't believe in happy ever after. Everything could end tomorrow," she said.
"If that happens, I'd rather Stuart tell me it was over and know he could just walk away without either of us having to go through a divorce or legal separation."
The couple have not ruled out having children though.
"I'd be delighted if I found out I was pregnant tomorrow, but I'd also be delighted if nothing happened for a couple of years.
"I know I'm going to be a mother. And Stuart will be our baby's father. That is something I'm sure of," she said.
The star met Irish actor Townsend on the set of the 2002 movie Trapped.
The attraction was instant but it was Theron's mother and her friends who got the couple together.
"My mum was pushing me, so were my friends. I can see how arranged marriages can be good. There was something my mum and my friends saw in Stuart that was so right," she said.
Within weeks of dating the pair decided to live together and Townsend moved from Ireland to LA.
Theron, who won an Oscar for the 2004 movie Monster, stars alongside Will Smith in the new action comedy film Hancock, which is released in UK cinemas from 2 July.
The full interview can be read in the August issue of Elle on sale from 2 July.