Actress Kate Winslet says she face bullying when she was at school. Photo / Getty Images
Actress Kate Winslet says she face bullying when she was at school. Photo / Getty Images
It was an emotional moment of candour that exposed the vulnerabilities and motivations that have driven Kate Winslet to her phenomenal Hollywood success.
During a gruelling reality show learning wilderness survival from Bear Grylls, the Oscar-winning actress opened up about how she was tormented by cruel bullies at school.
That,however, is not the view of one of her former teachers, who recalls popular, bright pupil who "got on so well with everyone" that she was made head girl. Carolyn Keston says that during Ms Winslet's time at Redroofs theatre school in Maidenhead "we never witnessed or heard of any bullying. Certainly nothing was ever relayed to us".
But speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday, Winslet says the reasons she did not speak out at the time highlights the isolation and trepidation that bullying victims often feel.
She said: "I chose not to bring it to the attention of the whole school at the time; as is often the case in these circumstances, people being bullied can be apprehensive about speaking out. Instead I sought the counsel of one trusted teacher who guided me through this situation in the most kind, discreet and supportive way.
"I was lucky that my school had this person there for me. My hope, is that anyone being bullied can also find the support, in any way that helps them too."
The clash of views illustrates for Winslet the difficulty of being bullied as it is often hidden from those in authority.
Last week, the Titanic actress told Grylls of her torment at school. "I was chubby, always had big feet, the wrong shoes, bad hair. There was one girl who was horrible to me," she said.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the movie Titanic.
But Miss Keston, Winslet's former tap-dance teacher, was unaware of any problems.
"Kate was very popular with her classmates. That is why we made her head girl in her final year here," she said. "She was friends with all the other children. She was just a lovely, normal, grounded girl who was never in trouble. She was fabulous."
And as for the actress's body image, Miss Keston adds: "I always remember her to have been very smartly dressed and very pretty. She probably went through a teenage stage when she became body conscious, but I don't remember her ever having bad hair. Kids are kids and sometimes teenagers may be a bit over-sensitive."
Winslet, 39, told Grylls that soon after she became a household name in Titanic, she saw the girl who made her life a misery working at a make-up counter of a department store. "I went up to her and said, 'I want to thank you for being such a bitch because it made me a lot stronger'," she added.
Winslet was at the school from 1986 to 1991 and Keston has since become co-head.
