Kate Winslet fights back tears recalling body criticism she faced as a young actress in new interview

English actress Kate Winslet has spoken candidly about the criticism over her appearance that she’s unfairly received over the years. 

The Titanic star, who is on the promotional trail for her new war drama film Lee, fought back tears in a new interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes when she admitted she once confronted critics who said she had been “melted and poured” into one red carpet dress at the start of her career.

“It was absolutely appalling. What kind of a person must they be to do something like that to a young actress who’s just trying to figure it out?” Winslet said about the body-shamers.

Watch the video above.

READ MORE: French actor Niels Arestrup dies at 75 as his wife pays tribute

READ MORE: Elton John delivers bombshell health update on stage

“I let them have it.”

She said she not only stood up for herself but others who have gone through the same thing.

“I said, ‘I hope this haunts you.’ It was a great moment. It was a great moment, because it wasn’t just for me. It was for all those people who were subjected to that level of harassment. It was horrific. It was really bad.”

She also was asked about the time her drama teacher once told her to ”settle for the fat girl parts” throughout her career because of her appearance.

READ MORE: Neighbours icon diagnosed with ‘non-fixable’ cancer

“‘Now, listen, Kate. I’m telling you, darling, if you’re going to look like this, you’ll have to settle for the fat girl parts’,” Winslet said the teacher told her.

“I was never even fat!

“It made me think, ‘I’ll just show you’ – just quietly, a quiet determination, really.”

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Winslet proved her critics wrong, becoming a leading lady in Hollywood with hit films including Titanic, Revolutionary Road, The Reader, The Holiday, Divergent and shows including Mare of Easttown.

The acclaimed actress, 49, is known for her powerful stance and message on body image and positivity

Australian actress-turned-radio host Kate Ritchie recently thanked Winslet for her stance on body image.

READ MORE: Split-second act made Margot Robbie think she’d ‘go to jail’

“I also just want to thank you for the conversations that you have and that you continue to have about body image,” Ritchie said on Nova 96.9’s Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie.

“I hope you know the value of you having these conversations, because it makes me, and I’m sure millions of other women…” she trailed off, getting emotional.

“The fact that we can hear you say those things, it really has opened the door for all of us. So that’s my heartfelt thank you.”

Winslet said she thinks ”women are getting better at standing up for each other as well as standing up for ourselves”.

A few years ago, Winslet revealed she insisted the director didn’t cut out her ‘bulgy belly’ in Mare of Easttown sex scene.

She recently told Harper’s Bazaar UK she was filming Lee and a crew member suggested she should “sit up straighter” in an effort to hide her “belly rolls”.

“There’s a bit where Lee’s sitting on a bench in a bikini… and one of the crew came up between takes and said, ‘You might want to sit up straighter’,” she recalled.

“So you can’t see my belly rolls? Not on your life! It was deliberate, you know?”

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.