Knightley sues 'Daily Mail' for suggesting she has anorexia

Keira Knightley, the Pirates of the Caribbean star, has launched a libel action over a newspaper story that suggested she was losing too much weight and could be anorexic.

The 21-year-old actress believes the Daily Mail article suggested she had "dishonestly sought to mislead the public" over whether she has an eating disorder.

In the article, which appeared earlier this month, Rosalind Ponomarenko-Jones, who lost her daughter Sophie Mazurek to anorexia, discussed the impact of celebrities such as Keira Knightley on vulnerable young women.

A photograph of Ms Mazurek, who was 19 when she died last month, was printed next to one of Ms Knightley in a bikini on holiday. The article described the actress as "skinny" and said that "for ordinary young girls, attempting to emulate this image is often dangerous".

Simon Smith, of the law firm Schillings, said: "We wish to make clear that Ms Knightley has the deepest sympathy for the girl's family. However, Ms Knightley has publicly denied suggestions that she might be anorexic or have a similar eating disorder... Accordingly, Ms Knightley will argue that the Mail's article suggests she has dishonestly sought to mislead the public about whether she has anorexia or similar eating disorder and will show that she does not have anorexia; and will challenge the suggestion that she is... to blame for the tragic death of the teenage girl by setting a bad example."

The case is due to go to jury trial at the High Court in London later this year.