Real women have curves. Just ask Kate Winslet.
The shapely British beauty on Friday won a public apology and undisclosed damages from a U.K. magazine for a story erroneously claiming she had visited a diet doctor to help her shed some pounds.
Winslet was not present for the libel hearing in London's High Court, but announced via her attorney a settlement with Grazia magazine. The publication printed a mea culpa in its Mar. 5 edition and agreed to fork over legal fees and a "substantial" sum to an eating-disorder charity.
At issue was an article that ran in the women's glossy last month reporting that the 31-year-old actor had stopped by the Chinese Healing Institute in California to consult with herbalist Dr. Yi Pan about how to trim down.
Winslet's camp insists she went there to be treated for a neck problem and that the magazine, owned by U.K. publishing giant Emap, of making her out to be a hypocrite. Winslet has been outspoken in her criticism of Hollywood's size-zero-obssessed culture, which she says results in self-esteem issues and eating disorders.
"Sorry Kate!" proclaimed the chastened Grazia. "We are satisfied that she did not go to [Dr Pan] seeking any treatment for weight loss. We are very happy to set the record straight and sincerely apologize to Kate for the distress caused."
Winslet said she was happy the record had been corrected.
"Grazia magazine have apologized to me in full, and admitted their story was incorrect, which gives me tremendous peace of mind," she said in a statement. "I feel very strongly that 'curves' are natural, womanly and real. I shall continue to hope that women are able to believe in themselves for who they are inside, and not feel under such incredible pressure to be unnaturally thin.
"I am not a hypocrite. I have always been, and shall continue to be, honest when it comes to bodyweight issues."
Winslet is coming off another busy year, having appeared in four films in 2006. She voiced a role in the animated film Flushed Away, starred opposite Sean Penn in the little-seen remake All the King's Men, costarred with Jude Law, Cameron Diaz and Jack Black in the romantic comedy The Holiday and scored a Best Actress nod, her fifth career Oscar nomination, for her role in the acclaimed drama Little Children. As with her previous four bids, Winslet lost out on the hardware, this time to Helen Mirren.