Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Kate Winslet accepts libel payout


Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has accepted £25,000 libel damages over a claim made by the Daily Mail that she lied about her exercise regime.


The settlement was agreed at London's High Court on Tuesday, but the actress was not present for the hearing.


In May, the 34-year-old filed legal papers saying she was "distressed and embarrassed" by the feature.


In a statement the actress said: "I am delighted that the Mail have apologised for making false allegations about me."


She added: "I was particularly upset to be accused of lying about my exercise regime and felt that I had a responsibility to request an apology in order to demonstrate my commitment to the views that I have always expressed about body issues, including diet and exercise.


"I strongly believe that women should be encouraged to accept themselves as they are, so to suggest that I was lying was an unacceptable accusation of hypocrisy."


'Irritating actress'


The star, who won an Oscar for The Reader, said the claims injured her personal and professional reputation.


The offending article, headlined "Should Kate Winslet win an Oscar for the world's most irritating actress?" was printed in January.


Her solicitor, Rachel Atkins, told Mr Justice Eady the feature was accompanied by several naked photographs of the actress in various films and was offensive in tone.


"The claimant has frequently asserted the right of women to accept the way that they look and by accusing her of trying to mislead the public, the defendant caused her a great deal of distress. It was simply not true." Ms Atkins said.


The newspaper published an apology in September, accepting that Winslet had not lied about how much she exercised, and agreed to pay the damages and costs.


The article disputed a quote given to Elle magazine, in which Winslet said: "I don't go to the gym because I don't have time, but I do Pilates workout DVDs for 20 minutes or more every day at home."


In 2007, Winslet accepted an undisclosed settlement from Grazia magazine over allegations that she had visited a diet doctor.


The publication apologised and accepted that Winslet had visited a doctor to be treated for a neck problem.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8339830.stm

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