Kate Winslet Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Kate Winslet’s acting CV is exemplary. From the unnerving Heavenly Creatures to Little Children and The Reader, she has displayed a frighteningly diverse range with a talent for picking the right parts. (The Holiday gets a reprieve because it is basically interiors porn.) Winslet has won an Academy Award, an Emmy, and a Grammy, her ability to do her job is not in any doubt.

Yet, despite the constant acclaim, her personal life choices have been subject to a lot of judgment. Winslet has been married three times and has had a child with each husband, a fact the tabloid media rarely fail to remind us of. She was famously targeted by Fathers4Justice in 2013 when the group used her image on their Christmas campaign adverts with the words, ?Kate, every child deserves their father this Christmas.? The campaign was a reference to comments the 39-year-old made about how she managed parenting in the aftermath of two divorces. In an interview with Vogue she said, ?None of this 50/50 time with the mums and dads – my children live with me; that is it.? The fathers? rights group condemend her comments. Kate responded with legal threats. She is not one for mealy-mouthed apologies, and in an interview in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar is reinforcing that reputation.

Of her marriages to Jim Threapleton and Sam Mendes, the Titanic actress says she wouldn’t have changed a thing about her choices and the ensuing relationship breakdowns. She’s a firm believer that your experience, good and bad, make you into the person you are meant to be.

?I would honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing. Even all the bad bits. It doesn’t matter how ***** times have been, they all matter, because those things shape who you are. And if you don’t like who you are, well, then you’re f***** really, aren’t you??

Kate is now married to Ned RocknRoll, Sir Richard Branson’s nephew, with whom she has a toddler named Bear. She says that her divorces have helped her children learn lessons,? making the claim, ?I think it’s very important to teach your children to struggle on some level?.

Another topic Kate doesn’t hold back on is the insane standards women are held to when it comes to body image. New mothers especially are put under the spotlight and pressurised to lose weight. Winslet, an ambassador for Lancome, says she feels ?a sense of responsibility for how other women view themselves.?

The actress claims that she chose not to go on one of those post-baby diets, saying ?I so didn’t want to be one of those ?Oh, wow, she’s back in shape after 12 weeks? women. When I read things like that, I just think, ?Oh, for ****’s sake, that’s actually impossible.???After the birth of her son Bear she concentrated on her health and sanity, as opposed to potential tabloid shots. Kate’s acceptance of her body and age should be embraced in this day and age, as she says herself, ?I simply can’t believe I ever spent any time wasting my life on that nonsense.?

Candid, frank, and completely free from the usual celebrity BS. You’ve got our undying devotion, Ms. Winslet.

harpersbazaar.co.uk

Follow Jeanne Sutton on Twitter @jeannedesutun