Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal has offered an insight into why he’s dating Reese Witherspoon - he loves strong women.

The Rendition hunk has always been surrounded by tenacious females - namely his mom, screenwriter Naomi Foner, and older sister, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal - and they’ve instilled in him an "extraordinary" respect for strong-willed members of the opposite sex.

So much so, the actor actively seeks out a similar strength of mind when he’s picking potential suitors.

He says, "Well, between my mom and my sister, I definitely grew up with a particular sort of woman. They are strong women who really know what they believe, and I like that.

"They also taught me to respect a woman’s mind. Growing up with them, I’ve always known about the power and the energy that women hold - anybody who spends any time with women knows how extraordinary that particular sex is!"