Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron's ex-wife Linda Hamilton has revealed that the film maker left her because of his dedication towards his movie Titanic.

According to reports, Hamilton says Cameron marries every movie he makes, and insists his devotion to the 1997 epic hit played a damaging role in their relations.

"Titanic was the mistress he left me for. He was the kind of man who really would rather be at work with the mistress than at home with the wife. That was hard to come to terms with," she said.

Cameron's affair with Titanic actress Suzy Amis, his fifth and current wife, is also widely cited as the final straw for the split that awarded Hamilton a $50-million divorce settlement in 1999 after a two-year marriage with the filmmaker.

Having scooped 11 Oscars with Titanic, Cameron's movie-making obsession spilled over into all areas of his life to the detriment of his family, reveals Hamilton.

The actress, 53, who has a child, 16-year-old Josephine, first met Cameron when he cast her as Sarah Connor in his 1984 classic The Terminator alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But it wasn't until 1991 on the set of the sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day that the pair took their mutual attraction to the next level.