The Celebrity Truth

In a win against trashy tabloid journalism, Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has accepted a payout of £25,000  in libel damages, after a British newspaper admitted to falsely claimed that she lied about her health exercise regime.Winslet, 34, sued the Daily Mail over an article that they published in January, with the headline: “Should Kate Winslet win an Oscar for the world’s most irritating actress?”.

The newspaper published the article alongside several film stills in which the actress appeared naked.

The mom-of-two released a statement on Tuesday (November 3), saying she is “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,” she says.

“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.”

Winslet’s lawyer, Rachel Atkins, told the High Court in London that the article was offensive in tone.

In September, the Daily Mail published an apology and admitted that Winslet had not lied about how much she exercised.

Atkins said that the newspaper had agreed to pay the damages and costs, and the settlement figure of £25,000 was agreed upon in court on Tuesday.

Photo: Miramax/Vanity Fair.