Super-slim Pirates star denies anorexia claims

ACTRESS Keira Knightley revealed yesterday that she has a family history of anorexia, but denied she has followed in their footsteps.

The super-slim Pirates Of The Caribbean star said her grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from the illness.

The 21-year-old spoke out after her appearance in a low-cut Gucci dress at the European premiere of the Hollywood sequel prompted concerns that she has lost too much weight.

She claimed to be surprised when journalists asked her about her eating habits. “They said to me yesterday ‘How does it feel to be called anorexic?’ and I had no idea that I was.

“I can safely say that I’m not,” she told a press conference for the film at London’s Claridge’s Hotel.

“I’ve got a lot of experience with anorexia — my grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from it, and I had a lot of friends at school who suffered from it, so I know it’s not something to be taken lightly and I don’t.

“But I don’t have it, I am very sure of that.”

The Bend It Like Beckham actress said she welcomed debate about the illness. “In a way it’s good that it’s out there and people are talking about it.

“It’s quite interesting because it’s normally high-achieving women who suffer from it because I guess they are control freaks. I’m not saying there aren’t people in the film industry that suffer from it, because I am sure that there are, but I am not one of them.”

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is the follow-up to the hit 2003 original.

The film opens this week and reunites Knightley with co-stars Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.