Kate Winslet in legal fight with newspaper over fitness regime

LONDON - Oscar-winning British actress Kate Winslet is suing a tabloid newspaper for the ‘unpleasant and nasty way’ in which it reported about her fitness regime.

Winslet, 33, in papers presented to the High Court in London Friday, claims that the Daily Mail article ‘injured her personal and professional reputation.’

She is suing the paper for libel damages of 150,000 pounds ($226,000).

In the feature article, headlined ‘Should Kate Winslet win an Oscar for the world’s most irritating actress?’, it was claimed that the star had underplayed the amount of exercise she needed to stay in shape.

It disputed a quote given to Elle magazine, in which Winslet said: ‘I don’t go to the gym because I don’t have time, but I do Pilates workout DVDs for 20 minutes or more every day at home.’

According to the court papers, Winslet said she was particularly upset by the ‘very unpleasant and nasty way’ in which the article was written.

She also took exception because she was often identified as a role model for young women who accept the way they look.

In 2007, Winslet accepted an undisclosed settlement from Grazia fashion magazine over allegations that she had visited a diet doctor.