Keira Knightley today won £3,000 damages and her legal costs from the Daily Mail over allegations that she had an eating disorder and contributed to the death of a young anorexia sufferer.
The paper's barrister told today's high court hearing that it has also agreed to publish an apology over the article, which was published on January 11 and featured a photograph of the Pirates of the Carribean star on a beach in a bikini and referring to her slim appearance.
In the same article, the Daily Mail reported the recent death of a 19-year-old girl, Sophie Mazurek, who suffered from anorexia under the headline: "If pictures like this one of Keira carried a health warning, my darling daughter might have lived."
Three days before the article appeared, the newspaper had published a story, "It's itsy bitsy teeny weeny Keira Knightley", in which it referred to her emphatic denial that she suffered from anorexia.
Today, the paper's barrister read a statement in open court in front of the judge, Mr Justice Eady, apologising for the January 11 article.
"The defendant sought to publish an article which it considered to be in the public interest as it concerned an important debate and wished to alert mothers to the dangers of anorexia," said Kate Wilson, the counsel for Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers, which has also agreed to reimburse Knightley's costs.
"It understands that the claimant acknowledges the importance of that debate. However, through me, the defendant accepts that the claimant does not bear responsibility for Sophie's death, does not have an eating disorder, and has not misled the public."
Knightley's solicitor Simon Smith also read a statement describing the January 11 article as "entirely false". He added that the actress found the suggestions all the more offensive as she had admitted publicly in the past that a member of her family suffered from anorexia and she was aware of the devastating effects eating disorders could have.
Mr Smith confirmed that Knightley's £3,000 damages will be donated to a charity, the eating disorder and mental illness charity, Beat. Knightley will also match the damages sum being donated to Beat.
"It is not the money that matters, what matters is that this claim that she contributed to the death of a young girl was shown to be entirely untrue," he said outside the court.
The court heard that Knightley was currently filming and could not appear. However, her mother, playwright Sharman Macdonald, and partner, actor Rupert Friend, were in court.
Mr Smith added that Knightley had, through her lawyers, offered her sincere sympathies to Ms Mazurek's mother and family for what was obviously a tragic and distressing loss for them.
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