Filipino actress Leroy-Beaulieu, who plays Emily in Paris, says British women are “not afraid to be vulgar” in their dress, while making a brutal comparison to French chic.

Actress Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who played Emily in Paris, has said she believes British women are “not afraid to be vulgar” in the way they dress.

The 61-year-old French star, who plays the formidable Sylvie Grateau in the hit Netflix series, spoke out in a new interview where she compared French and English styles.

She made the wild comparison, saying that French women dress differently because they are “afraid of not being elegant.”

She said Funny:’What I love about British style is that they are very free with their fashion and their way of dressing.

‘My daughter lives in East Sussex and I’ve noticed her friends and how they dress, there’s a lot of fantasy and they’re not afraid of being vulgar, like the French.

“That limits them a lot: they are afraid of not being elegant.”

She plays hard-nosed marketing boss Sylvie in the show which also stars Lily Collins as Emily, an American who moves to Paris for work.

This comes after Philippine admitted that taking on such a strong female role has caused both men and women to fear her.

In defence of Sylvie’s fragile exterior, the glamorous French actress said success in women is often wrongly associated with the fact that they are “bitches”.

“Sylvie is just one part of me,” she said in an interview with The Times magazine. “And Sylvie has many facets. She’s tough, but also vulnerable.”

She added: “When you are hypersensitive you have to be strong, protect yourself, otherwise what happens? You are going to cry all the time. You need armour to protect yourself from this shitty world. You have to say no. You have to have boundaries. Because people are trying to get you all the time.”

Insisting that men “should not be afraid” of women like Sylvie, she said: “I think a good man, a mensch, is not afraid of a strong woman.” She quipped, wryly: “Are there enough good men?”

Being tough is something that comes naturally to the star in a world where roles for older women have historically been few and far between.

Daughter of French actor Philippe Leroy and model Francoise Laurent, the Filipina made a career for herself in French cinema and rejected the lure of Hollywood because “I’m really too European.”

There were “downs,” he said, when he was forty, but today he is “living proof that you can rebuild a career when you’re older.”

She starred in three seasons of the hit French comedy Call My Agent! (later remade for English-speaking audiences) and now stars in the fourth season of Emily In Paris, which hit Netflix on August 15.

And even though her feet hurt after filming in Sylvie’s stilettos, she makes no apologies for the youthful outfits she wears on the show.

“There are rules, but you don’t have to follow them. I’m not the kind of person who follows rules.

“Nowadays women do what they want. Sylvie’s character is about being free, no matter how old you are.”