Winslet in £25k libel payout

The Daily Mail falsely reported that she lied about her fitness...

13:40 03 November 2009

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

In May, the Oscar winner filed legal papers saying she was "distressed and embarrassed" by the feature in the newspaper, stating that the article had wounded her personal and professional reputation.

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

The article was accompanied by several naked photographs of the actress in various films over the years and was offensive in tone, her solicitor, Rachel Atkins, stated.

Atkins said: "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."

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, which have now been accepted by the star.

In a statement the Oscar winner for 'The Reader' said: "I am delighted that the Mail have apologised for making false allegations about me.

"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."