Keira Knightley Recalls ‘Trauma’ of Constant Speculation She Had an Eating Disorder: ‘It’s Public Shaming, Isn’t It?'

Keira Knightley reflects on her young years in the spotlight.

In an interview with The Times published on Saturday, November 23rd Pride and Prejudice star, 39, opened up about what it was like to deal with constant speculation about her weight early in her career, as well as claims she had an eating disorder.

“I knew I wasn’t [dealing with an eating disorder]. I knew I was eating,” she said, adding that she has since blocked out much of the experience. “In that classic trauma way, I don’t remember it,” she said.

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“There’s a complete erasure, and then some things will come up and suddenly I’ll have a very physical memory of it because, ultimately, it’s public shaming, right?” the actress continued. “It’s obviously part of my psyche, considering how young I was when it happened. I was built around it.”

The mother of two noted that journalists tend to lack empathy when dealing with stars living with an eating disorder, recalling the time when Mary-Kate Olsen – who entered rehab for an eating disorder in 2004 – was publicly mocked.

“I remember one of the Olsen twins had anorexia and she went to the clinic. I remember being asked about it on the press tour, like it was a joke. She should have been shamed for seeking help for anorexia,” Love, actually said the actress.

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“I remember sitting there and just going, ‘Wow, this is wild.’ Can you imagine?” she continued, sharing how the moment made her “really emotional” despite it not being about her. I still can’t take it, she said.

Knightley revealed in 2018 that she suffered a “mental breakdown” when she was 22, sharing that she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to her rapid rise to fame when she was The Hollywood Reporter’s Chatter about awards podcast.

Keira Knightley 2024.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

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“I went deep into therapy and all that, and [a therapist] said: ‘It’s amazing — I usually come here and have people who think people are talking about them and they think they’re being followed, but they’re not. You’re the first person it’s actually happened to!’ ” she said to the presenter.

The actress has also previously spoken about her struggle with fame. In 2023, she revealed that she “never felt comfortable” with how she was perceived in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean while talking to Harper’s Bazaar UK.

“I felt very constrained. I felt very stuck,” she recalled, noting that her character in Pirates the franchise was “the object of everyone’s desire”. She then added that “the roles that followed were attempts to get out of it.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, visit NationalEatingDisorders.org.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the text crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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Source: HIS Education