ACTOR Ewan McGregor has weighed in on the Scottish independence debate by admitting he would prefer to see Scotland remain part of the UK.

The Trainspotting and Star Wars star, who lives in California, said it was not the place of someone living outside Scotland to take a political stance on the issue. However, he said that although he was patriotic, he thought it would be a "terrible shame" to break up the UK.

He said: : "I'm a Scotsman and I love Scotland with all my heart. But I also like the idea of Great Britain, and I don't know it wouldn't be a terrible shame to break it all up."

McGregor reveals he got his knuckles rapped a few years ago after berating a fellow unnamed actor for his pro-independence stance. He said: I got in trouble once when I was drunk in a press conference in Cannes and made a rude remark about a Scottish actor who's very pro- independent Scotland.

"Behind my comments was the fact I don't think it's for anybody who doesn't live in Scotland to tell the Scottish people how to feel about Scotland. And I still feel the same way about it."

The Perth-born actor also revealed why he left his adopted home in London for the US four years ago. He said: "I felt an encroaching sense in London that liberty and freedom were being lost. There are cameras everywhere."