KEY POINTS:
Keira Knightley, the Pirates of the Caribbean star, has taken 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, earlier this month, Rosalind Ponomarenko-Jones, who lost her daughter Sophie Mazurek to anorexia, discussed the impact of celebrities such as Knightley on vulnerable young women.
A photograph of her daughter, who was 19 when she died last month, was printed next to one of Knightley in a bikini. The article described the actress as "skinny" and said that "for ordinary young girls, attempting to emulate this image is often dangerous".
Lawyer Simon Smith 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 ... 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 this year.
- INDEPENDENT
