Kate Winslet's ex-husband, Sam Mendes, has come to the Oscar-winning star's defence after she was targeted by Fathers4Justice. Get the full story...
Kate Winslet is said to be considering taking legal action after the parents’ rights group, Fathers4Justice, used her image negatively in a new campaign.
The controversial Christmas campaign uses a picture the Oscar-winning actress alongside the caption: ‘Kate, every child deserves a father this Christmas.’
The British star’s solicitors Schillings have since issued the group with a legal letter, claiming the ad is ‘misleading and seriously defamatory.’
Having just welcomed a new baby boy to third husband Ned Rocknroll, Kate was targeted by the action group after comments she made about her children’s’ living arrangements in a recent interview.
‘My kids don’t go back and forth,’ she said. ‘None of this 50/50 time with the mums and dads – my children live with me, that is it.’
Fathers4Justice defended its shocking campaign by saying: ‘We are running this advert as part of a campaign to highlight the sensitive issue of four million children waking up on Christmas Day without their father.
‘It is clear from what Kate says that she does not support ‘shared parenting’.’
But Kate’s ex-husband Sam Mendes – the dad to her nine-year-old son Joe - has jumped to her defence: ‘It is inappropriate for this organisation to involve my family and I when they know nothing of our personal circumstances.
‘Whilst I fully support fathers’ rights, I can happily state this has never been a concern for me or my son.’
In 2004, Kate’s first husband Jim Threapleton, father to her 13-year-old daughter, Mia, spoke out in support of Fathers4Justice: ‘I empathise with the fathers, although I do not agree with the militant side of what they do.’
Schillings confirmed the firm had been instructed to act on behalf of Winslet.
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