Keira Knightley insists she is not anorexic

updated 6:04 p.m. ET July 5, 2006

LONDON - Oscar-nominated actress Keira Knightley says her family has a history of anorexia but insisted Tuesday that she does not have an eating disorder.

The slender 21-year-old, in London to promote "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," rejected suggestions that she was anorexic or had another eating disorder that came after she appeared in the film's premiere in a revealing gold Gucci gown.

"I've got a lot of experience with anorexia — my grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from it, and I had a lot of friends at school who suffered from it," Knightley said. "I know it's not something to be taken lightly and I don't."

She said she was surprised by any suggestion that she had an eating disorder.

"(The press) said to me yesterday ‘How does it feel to be called anorexic?' and I had no idea that I was," Knightley said. "I'm not saying there aren't people in the film industry that suffer from it, because I am sure that there are. But I'm quite sure I don't have it."

Knightley, who was nominated for best actress for her role in "Pride and Prejudice," still welcomed discussion about the illness.

"In a way, it's good that it's out there and that people are talking about it," she said.

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