Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has opened up about the "horrific" body shaming she endured during her rise to fame, revealing painful details from her early career.

Winslet, 49, discussed how the harassment began long before her breakout role in the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic." As a child, she was nicknamed "blubber" at school and experienced severe bullying, including being locked in an art cupboard. The cruelty continued when a drama teacher told her she would have to "settle for the fat girl parts" if she wanted to pursue acting. Despite these hurtful comments, Winslet maintained what she described as a "quiet determination" to prove her critics wrong.

The body shaming intensified after "Titanic" catapulted her to international stardom. Between ages 15 and 19, Winslet struggled with disordered eating, admitting she was "barely eating" during unhealthy dieting cycles. She said that when her life was "turned upside down" in her early 20s following the film's release, she "wasn't in a particularly good shape" mentally regarding her body image, according to the BBC.

British tabloids targeted the young actress relentlessly, with journalists rummaging through her bins and questioning shopkeepers about her grocery purchases to speculate about her diet. At the 1998 Golden Globe Awards, a television interviewer commented that Winslet looked "a little melted and poured" into her gown and suggested she should have worn "a dress two sizes larger."

In a December 2024 interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," Winslet revealed she confronted that critic face-to-face years later. "I let them have it," she said, becoming emotional. "I said, 'I hope this haunts you.' It was a great moment, because it wasn't just for me. It was for all those people who were subjected to that level of harassment," Fox News reported.

Winslet emphasized the double standards women face in Hollywood, noting that comments about her appearance were disguised as praise for her "bravery" when she appeared without heavy makeup or showed her natural body on screen. "I was never even fat," she stated emphatically during the 60 Minutes interview.

The actress has since become a vocal advocate for natural aging and body acceptance. In a December 2025 interview with The Sunday Times, she criticized the rise of cosmetic procedures and weight-loss drugs among young actresses, saying they have "become obsessed with chasing an idea of perfection to get more likes on Instagram." She called the situation "absolute chaos" and expressed concern about women neglecting their health in pursuit of unrealistic beauty standards.

Winslet, who is now making her directorial debut with "Goodbye June," continues to use her platform to challenge Hollywood's treatment of women and encourage younger actresses to embrace their authentic selves, as per Business Times.

Tags
Kate Winslet, Actress, Hollywood, Titanic