Eating disorder lies

Keira Knightley: The truth behind the rumors

Keira Knightley

(Bild: picturedesk.com/NDZ / Action Press)

At 17, she celebrated her Hollywood breakthrough as a soccer player in the 2002 film "Bend It Like Beckham". With "Pirates of the Caribbean", Keira Knightley finally became a star and was and still is under constant media scrutiny. 

The now 39-year-old has now revealed that the media coverage of her alleged eating disorder was traumatic for her at the time. Because she didn't suffer from anorexia or bulimia: "I knew it wasn't true because I was eating."

Post-traumatic stress syndrome
The negative climax for her came in 2007, when a newspaper article in the "Daily Mail" suggested that her thin figure had led to the death of a 19-year-old with anorexia. Knightley sued for defamation and won. The public pressure led to Knightley suffering a mental health crisis at 22. She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome and took a year off from acting.

Trauma "erased"
The British actress revealed to The Times that she has hardly any memories of her early years in the spotlight: "It's the typical repression of trauma. I've erased it. But then things happen that suddenly bring it all back." For example, when one of the Olsen twins was admitted to a clinic for anorexia: "I remember being asked about it on a press tour as if it was a joke." Keira reacted very emotionally: "I couldn't bear it, even though it wasn't about me. They wanted to expose her for seeking help for her anorexia."

Married to musician James Righton since 2013, Knightley has since learned to handle the spotlight well. She balances her acting career with her most important role in life - as mother to her daughters Edie (9) and Delilah (5).