Kate Winslet has revealed that while she’s happy with her weight now, she once developed an addiction to laxatives in an effort to lose weight.

Kate told Hollywood Life recently: “When I was 15, I was nearly 14 stone (196 pounds). I was uncomfortable and self-conscious. I knew I wanted to be an actress and was big.”

“Over a year I sensibly got down to 10 stone (140 pounds). Then I became addicted to losing weight and went too far. I was never anorexic or bulimic. I went through a three-month experimental laxative time which was absolutely awful.”

“Luckily I was strong enough to be able to say to myself: ‘What are you doing? You are just really hungry.’”

“The whole weight thing drives me crazy. This stuff is so important to me because I have been there and know what a vicious cycle it is.”

“You want to teach young people that beauty comes from within and that food is great and a huge part of life. I am very, very normal. I am actually proud of all the marks and scars that I bear.”