Kate Winslet: 'I was bullied for being chubby'

marie claire's cover star talks body image and body make-up in the June issue

British Oscar winner Kate Winslet has revealed exclusively to marie claire magazine that she was bullied as a child and lived with the nickname ‘Blubber’.

The 33-year-old, who is now happily settled in New York with her director husband Sam Mendes and their five-year-old son, Joe and Winslet’s daughter, Mia, eight, reveals in the June edition: ‘I was bullied for being chubby. Where are they now!’ she jokes.

SEE KATE'S STUNNING PHOTOSHOOT FOR THIS MONTH'S MARIE CLAIRE

Despite her runaway success this year, winning her long-awaited Oscar for best actress for her role in The Reader, Winslet admits: ‘Even now I do not consider myself to be some kind of great, sexy beauty. Absolutely not.’

She is, however, at peace with her looks, having come to terms with her body as she has got older. ‘I don’t mind the way I’m ageing… I think I look my age, and that’s fine.

‘I don’t think I look younger than 33 and I don’t think I look particularly older than 33. I think I’m sort of holding it together.’

SEE KATE'S BEST BEAUTY MOMENTS HERE

As the face of Lancôme’s Trésor fragrance, Winslet has used her status to be an outspoken advocate of real-sized women: ‘I do think it’s important for young women to know that magazine covers are retouched. People don’t really look like that. In my films I might look glamorous, but I’ve been in hair and make-up for two hours.’

During filming for the award-winning The Reader, Winslet even confessed to wearing body make-up for her nudity scenes. 'With the nudity in The Reader, for example, even I was like, “Damn, I look good.” And that was the lighting – it was a bit of body make-up. I don’t believe in pretending those things don’t go on.’

To read more refreshing viewpoints from Blighty's very own Oscar-winning star, pick up the June issue of marie claire, on sale from today.

SEE ALL OUR FAVOURITE KATE WINSLET RED CARPET PICS HERE