Actors and actresses are almost under the media’s surveillance and sometimes cross the lines when they publish sensitive things about them. Keira Knightley, who is known for her stint in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, was once blamed for the death of a young anorexic girl. Keep scrolling for more.
Keira started her film journey at a young age and soon gained fame and recognition. The actress has success with period dramas, and to date, her film Pride & Prejudice is one of the most popular romance dramas in the history of cinema. However, she almost played the role of Elizabeth Bennet because she was reportedly too pretty. Director Joe Wright, however, changed his decision after meeting Knightley, and then the rest is history.
Over a decade ago, media outlet The Daily Mail published an article featuring a picture of the Pirates of the Caribbean star in a bikini from the beach. The media outlet referring to her slim appearance alleged that Keira Knightley had an eating disorder. In that same article, they published a story of a 19-year-old girl named Sophie Mazurek’s death due to anorexia. As per The Guardian, The Daily Mail’s headline read, “If pictures like this one of Keira carried a health warning, my darling daughter might have lived.”
Before that, they published another article where they referred to Keira Knightley’s denial of her alleged disorder. The body-shaming article was headlined, “It’s itsy bitsy teeny weeny, Keira Knightley.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean star took legal action after she was blamed for the girl’s death. She sued The Daily Mail to set an example and point out how irresponsible the media outlet was with their reporting. She was awarded £3,000 in damages, which is around $3,804.16. According to the Denver Post’s article, Keira Knightley’s damages were worth around $6000 SD.
However, the Pirates of the Caribbean star donated the amount to charity after doubling it by adding some of her money. On the other hand, The Daily Mail agreed to apologize by publishing a statement. Keira Knightley’s lawyer read a statement in court which revealed the actress found the suggestions more offensive as she had admitted publicly in the past that a member of her family had anorexia. She was aware of its devastating effects.
Her lawyer added, “Mr Smith added that Knightley had, through her lawyers, offered her sincere sympathies to Ms Mazurek’s mother and family for what was obviously a tragic and distressing loss for them.”
Besides Keira Knightley, many actors have faced body shaming in the industry, including the Titanic star Kate Winslet.
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