Keira Knightley discussed the “Trauma” of these eating disorder rumors

This post contains discussion of eating disorders.

Keira Knightley reflected on the eating disorder rumors from her early on career.

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While Keira’s career dates back to the early 90s and reached international level with his role in the 2003s Pirates of the Caribbean: The curse of the black pearl. She of course played Elizabeth Swann alongside Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner. She has also done three sequels before end his run in 2017 to focus on other projects.

Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom at an event

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During that time, Keira began to receive attention for her weight, including speculation of an eating disorder. She denied the rumors, and in 2007, she won a libel suit for a news article that appeared to accuse her of lying and suggested she was to blame for the death of a woman with anorexia.

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“I knew I wasn’t,” Keira recently told Sunday Times of the eating disorder speculation. “I knew I was eating.”

Keira Knightley in a formal outfit speaks into a microphone at a press event for Variety

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Still, she says the allegations were traumatic. “In the classic trauma way, I don’t remember,” Keira admitted. “There’s been a complete erasure and then some things will come up and I’ll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because at the end of the day it’s public shaming, right? It’s obviously part of my psyche, in considering how young I was when it happened, I’ve been made around it.”

Keira Knightley on the red carpet in an elegant lace dress, surrounded by cameras and interviewers

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Keira also discussed how some of her Hollywood peers with speculated eating disorders were also treated at the time. “I viscerally remember one of the Olsen twins had anorexia and she went into a clinic,” she said, apparently talking about Mary-Kate Olsen. “I remember being asked about it on a press tour as if it were a joke.”

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“She was meant to be ashamed of seeking help for anorexia,” Keira said. “I remember sitting there thinking, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ Can you imagine?” Tears welling up, Keira admitted: “It made me really emotional. It’s not even about me, it’s about her. I still can’t take it.”

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Read the full interview here.

The National Eating Disorders Association the help line is 1-800-931-2237; for 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.