The legal battle of Kate's weight loss

Actress sues 'Mail' owner over allegations about fitness regime

Kate Winslet is suing the Daily Mail newspaper for £150,000 over an article which claimed she had lied about her fitness regime.

The actress, 33, has filed papers at London's High Court saying that she was "distressed and embarrassed" about the feature, headlined "Should Kate Winslet win an Oscar for the world's most irritating actress?" She believes it was written in an "unpleasant and nasty way".

She is suing Associated Newspapers, the Daily Mail's owner, for £150,000 in libel damages and claims that the article "injured her personal and professional reputation".

The article by Liz Jones, a columnist, was published on 30 January this year. The Mail has removed the feature from its website but, according to Winslet's court papers, the paper has refused to rule out repeating the accusations.

Comparing her to other Hollywood actresses, Ms Jones questioned whether Winslet was becoming "as drippy and as impossibly vain as the rest of them". In particular it queried whether she was telling the truth about her exercise regime during an interview she had given to Elle magazine in which she stated: "I don't go to the gym because I don't have time, but I do Pilates workout DVDs for 20 minutes or more very day at home."

Jones continued: "Spend enough time ... standing next to women with the physique of broken umbrellas with inflated bits stuck on, and the seeds of self-doubt will sprout, grow and choke you ... It is the duplicitousness that enrages me and most other women I have spoken to. Come on, Kate, just be honest about how hard it is to be that size, don't pretend you are still normal."

Winslet, who often talks openly about her weight, took exception to the claim because she is often identified as a role model for young women who accept the way they look. In past interviews she has frequently been critical of actresses and people who diet at the expense of their health. This is not the first time that the Hollywood actress has sued for an article that talked about her weight.

In 2007 she accepted a "substantial" sum from Grazia magazine after they falsely claimed she had visited a diet doctor. "I am not a hypocrite," she said at the time. "I have always been and shall continue to be, honest when it comes to body/weight issues."