Keira's violence advert censored

Keira Knightley. Photo / AP

LONDON - Advertising censors have branded an anti-domestic violence advertisement starring Keira Knightley too shocking for TV, and are refusing to allow it to be broadcast unless key scenes are cut.

The ad shows the actor returning home and being confronted by a violent boyfriend who accuses her of having an affair with a co-star, before beginning a vicious attack with Knightley being repeatedly kicked.

The ad was made for the charity Women's Aid, and shown in British cinemas this month. Charities working to combat domestic violence called the decision by Clearcast, the advertising approval body, "pathetic", arguing that, in banning the ad, it was shielding the public from the reality of domestic violence.

"It seems pathetic. It is really important to raise awareness about domestic violence, and TV gets into people's homes," said Sandra Horely, chief executive of Refuge, a charity which assists women and children escaping from domestic violence.

The ad has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube.

Independent regulator the Advertising Standards Authority has received two complaints from the public about the new campaign.

- INDEPENDENT