Kate Winslet left 'horrified' after being 'vilified' over her body in Titanic

03 June 2023 , 15:33

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Kate was deeply affected by the backlash she faced (Image: Getty Images)

Kate Winslet revealed she was left devastated following the harsh and relentless media coverage focusing on her body after the release of Titanic.

The romantic historical drama, directed by James Cameron, was released in 1997, and Kate played the female lead Rose, who was wooed by Leonardo DiCaprio's loveable rogue Jack onboard the doomed cruise liner.

The British actress was 22 when the movie hit cinemas, catapulting her and Leo to superstardom as Titanic became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

However, Kate revealed she was “vilified” for her appearance in the film, and the negative media coverage that surrounded her at the time changed her for good.

Kate was 22 when Titanic was released in 1997 (Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

She faced horrific criticism over her figure at the time (Newcastle Chronicle)

The 47-year-old told British Vogue in a recent interview that she “absolutely learned how to look after myself the hard way” due to the backlash she received for having a perfectly normal body.

Kate Winslet's daughter Mia Threapleton is her mother's double at BAFTA party

“What I really remember vividly is that when I did Titanic and was so thrust into the public eye, I was shocked and horrified by how vilified I was by mainstream media,” Kate explained.

She said that while it “doesn’t happen” nowadays, she’s still upset by the “nasty sh*t” people say about celebrities on social media.

Kate is now a champion for body positivity and women in Hollywood (Getty Images)

She said she was in awe of her daughter's fearlessness (Getty Images)

However, Kate believes that the horrible articles about women’s bodies in the media have reduced enormously.

“But mainstream media behaving in these really irresponsible damaging ways – I do think that has actually stopped,” she added.

Kate has been a champion of women in recent years and spoke out about the harmful effects social media was having on young women as she accepted a BAFTA for her role in I Am Ruth, in which she starred alongside her daughter Mia Threapleton, 22.

During her chat with British Vogue, the Oscar-winning actress heaped praise on the “fearless” young generation of people heading into Hollywood.

“They just don’t know fear when it comes to stepping out – they don’t know that bit. They just know, ‘Yes, let’s go’,” she said.

Emma Wilson