Keira Knightley Opens Up About Hiding a Mental Breakdown Early in Her Career

Keira Knightley has spoken openly about the challenges she faced with fame early in her career and how it affected her mental health. In a recent interview with The Times, the actress described how constant attention and harassment from paparazzi took a serious toll on her.

As her popularity grew, Knightley says men would often wait outside her homes, trying to take pictures of her. To avoid being photographed, she split her time between two houses and repeated the same few outfits, knowing that photos of her in the same clothes would be less valuable to the press.

“I did go mad,” she told The Times. “Believe me. I went mad. I just managed to hide it.”

The actress also described how some people would shout insults like “wh***” or “sl**” at her, especially if she was with a boyfriend, her brother, or her father. She said this behavior was meant to provoke reactions so the men could create legal trouble for others. Over time, this constant stress left her feeling trapped and anxious.

“You start worrying you’re going mad, like, ‘Were they really following me, or was I imagining it?’ So then you’d buy all the papers — and every single time I was right,” Knightley explained. “There would be a photo. Even if I hadn’t actually seen them. Because you’re in a hyper-vigilant state.”

The experience influenced the choices she made in her career. Knightley said it led her to focus on smaller theatre roles instead of big Hollywood movies, as the pressure of fame had a lasting impact on her life.

Today, she says she is in a better place. She has recently published a children’s book, I Love You Just The Same, which she wrote and illustrated herself. She is also starring in the Netflix thriller The Woman in Cabin 10.

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