What a heel! Jonathan Rhys Meyers' bolstered boots take his Henry VIII to new heights

The Irish actor  - who is 5ft 9½ins tall - was spotted wearing external and internal shoe-lifts on his knee-high leather boots as he reprised his role as British monarch Henry VIII in the upcoming third season of his TV series The Tudors.

He showed of his impressive footwear during a break in filming at Dublin Castle.

If the shoe fits: The 5' 9½" Irish actor was given an extra lift in the height department in the form of a pair of shoe lifts

The 31-year-old returned to Dublin last month to begin filming of Series Three after taking time out to grieve the loss of his mother Geraldine Meyers-O'Keeffe.

The star, who was arrested after a drunken row with airline staff last year, recently revealed that he has given up drinking since her death.

'Drinking is not the way forward for me at all. I never even drank until I was 25 anyway.

'I was in Thailand on my own, filming.

'I was a little bit lonely and I started drinking,' WENN quoted him as saying.

Pictures of a grieving Jonathon - who has checked himself into rehab twice - drinking a can of extra-strong cider in a North London street were taken hours after news emerged of the sudden death of his mother at a hospital in Cork.

The incident happened two days after his involvement in a fracas at Dublin airport.

Jonathan also admitted that he is struggling to shed his rebellious image.

Tea total: The actor - pictured drinking a can of beer in the street after his mother's sudden death -  says he has now given up alcohol

'I want to do something useful with my life. Drinking is not synonymous with that. And I don’t put any emphasis on it. To be honest, I just leave it alone and hope people will, too, but I don’t really care.' he added.

'Of course, as a young Irish actor you are tarred before the start. It’s the enduring cliche.'