Prince Harry's ex Cressida Bonas unrecognisable in breakout acting role

Cressida Bonas is set to star in a gritty new crime series, where she looks virtually unrecognisable in one of the leading roles.

The English model, who is a household name thanks to her two-year relationship with Prince Harry from 2012-14, has had only a handful of small roles before landing the part of Sheila Caffell in the BBC series, "White House Farm".

The miniseries is based on the horrifying true story of the Jeremy Bamber killings, and aired to critical acclaim in the United Kingdom earlier this year. It is set to hit streaming in Australia on Binge.

Playing a schizophrenic mother of twins who is accused of murdering her adoptive parents, the role was the first time Bonas has been given a platform to showcase her impressive acting chops.

The 31-year-old, who admitted she often only gets put up for "fluffy" parts, said she hoped to play grittier roles with more depth going forward.

"I was really happy with that performance ('White House Farm') and I felt like as soon as that was over, this (lockdown) all began," she told the Evening Standard of coronavirus shrouding the attention around her breakout performance.

"It is one of those things, really, and I just hope that when it (the acting industry) does re-open I can carry on doing it, as it is what I love doing.

"I hope that I get to play roles of a similar ilk. And carry on doing that going forward."

Bonas opened up earlier in the year about being constantly linked to Prince Harry, who she met through his cousin, Princess Eugenie, in 2012.

"No one likes to be labelled, no matter what it is about or where they come from," she told ES.

"The hurdles and barriers for me are when I'm trying to do my work and people want to talk about him.

'I work very hard and love what I do — I just want to continue. But it is still something I have to contend with. It is what it is. People will perhaps always ask me about it."

She was also asked about her opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose wedding she attended in May 2018, and declined to comment.

"I wouldn't take a position on that because it would be a headline. I want to talk about my work. And also out of respect," she said.

"What's the expression? How would I feel if the shoe was on the other foot and it was an ex talking about me?

"It feels like a long time ago, so when it comes up it feels strange because I'm in a very different place now — I'm getting married, I've learned a lot."

Bonas was set to wed her partner, Harry Wentworth-Stanley, in August but the nuptials have been put on hold indefinitely due to coronavirus.

"It might be a case that we get married next year," she said. "Ask anyone, and no one knows and no one can predict. It is out of our control and out of our hands. At the moment we are not planning or doing anything. It is not going ahead."