Kate Winslet wins best actress in mini-series Emmy

LOS ANGELES: British actress Kate Winslet won the best actress in a mini-series Emmy on Sunday, for her role in period drama "Mildred Pierce."

The Oscar-winning star plays a divorcee single mother who opens a restaurant to survive in the Great Depression in the drama, for which her English-born co-star Guy Pearce won best supporting actor Emmy moments earlier.

Winslet gave a short acceptance speech saying she "didnt think we were going to win anything" - until her gong it had been having a disappointing night - before thanking her mother.

Winslet's success came on a big night for another British period drama, "Downtown Abbey."

The show won the best mini-series Emmy, while veteran Maggie Smith won best supporting actress and Julian Fellowes, who wrote the British period drama, best writer of a mini-series.

Brian Percival also won best director for "Downtown Abbey," which tells the story of the aristocratic Crawley family in the stately home of the show's name. (AFP)

Kate Winslet escapes fire at Branson holiday home

British Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet was among the guests who escaped unhurt from a fire which swept through Richard Branson's Caribbean holiday retreat overnight.

Branson said the blaze was caused by a lightning strike on The Great House on Necker Island, and that the building was completely destroyed.

Branson, his wife Joan and son Sam were staying in a nearby property, but among those who fled the affected building were 35-year-old Winslet, her boyfriend and family, Branson's mother Eve and his daughter Holly.

"Around 20 people were in the house and they all managed to get out and they are all fine," Branson said in comments released to the British media.

"We had a really bad tropical storm with winds up to 90 miles per hour. A big lightning storm came around 4 a.m. and hit the house.

"My son Sam rushed to the house and helped get everyone out. Kate Winslet, her boyfriend and her family were there and Holly and some of her friends were also staying. My mother was there and they managed to get her out and she is fine."

He said his office was based in the main house, and that he had lost thousands of photographs in the fire.

Branson added that he planned to rebuild the property, which British media said had been expected to be the venue for the marriage later this year of Holly to fiance Fred Andrews.

Necker Island is part of the British Virgin Islands and is privately owned by Branson. (Reuters).  Kate Winslet' Pictures

Winslet strips for exhibition

Kate Winslet has bared it all again as she posed naked in front of the camera for photographer Mario Testino''s new exhibition ‘Todo o Nada’ in Rome.

The Titanic star, who had previously stripped off for Lancome cosmetics campaign, admitted that she could not say no to Testino when he appro ached her to feature in his upcoming art show.

“You know that his biggest strength without fail is making women look beautiful. When Mario turns to you and says, It’s beautiful, but I think it would work better naked, no?' How can one refuse?” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted the actress as saying.

“No matter what insecurities about oneself a subject may have, Mario makes them go away like a magician.

“One moment you are in the hair and make-up chair fully clothed and wishing you had smoother skin, longer legs and smaller feet and then Mario comes in and, in that charming way, he takes you by the hand and says, 'Don't worry it's going to be amazing,” she added.

Kate Winslet struggled with 'tough' break-up scenes in 'Mildred Pierce'

Kate Winslet has revealed that she struggled to portray the breakdown of a relationship in new TV mini-series 'Mildred Pierce', because the scenes reminded her of splitting from husband Sam Mendes.

The 'Titanic' star announced the end of her seven-year marriage to the 'American Beauty' director last year (10).

"It was tough. There were moments like that one where I was using things from my own life in my performance," the Daily Express quoted Kate as saying.

"There were days when I'd almost feel comatose."
But the actress found a delicious distraction during filming in the form of male model Louis Dowler, whom she dated for eight months.

In 'Mildred Pierce', a remake of the 1945 Joan Crawford film, Winslet plays an American in the Thirties who refuses to be a victim of the economic downturn and works hard to make something of herself.

"I connected with Mildred. I share her survival instinct. My parents didn't have any money. I know what it's like to work hard to get by and make something of yourself," she said.

Winslet, Dicaprio voted most romantic onscreen couple

LONDON: Titanic stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have been voted the most romantic movie couple ever.

The 36-year-old US heartthrob and the stunning British actress, 35, appeared opposite each other in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster Titanic, which was based on the tragic sinking of the infamous ship in 1912.

More than 500,000 movie fans offered their opinions in a poll for ABC TV and People magazine, with the results airing on US TV.

According to statistics, almost a quarter of voters considered the ill-fated destiny of Rose and Jack to be the most passionate, as the couple's love blossoms while one of the most horrific maritime disasters in history plays

Exercise keeps me sane

Kate Winslet has credited exercise with helping her to feel good about herself following her split from ex-husband Sam Mendes.

The actress - who divorced from the American Beauty director in 2010 after seven years of marriage - admitted that she engaged in more physical activity after becoming single in order to feel healthier for her two children.

"That's the main reason I took it up... But I do feel... I don't know... part of, I suppose, my way out of everything, has been really taking care of myself," she explained to Vogue.

"I think that comes from an awareness that my children really need me, and they need me to be the healthiest version of myself that I can possibly be."

She went on to say that she feels good about her place in life now, adding: "I actually keep saying it out loud. Last night I went out for a drink with two friends and, as we were walking, I said, 'God, you know, I feel so good'.

"Not in a, 'Wow! I feel so good!' way, but just in that quiet centred way. I'm almost surprised by it. I feel well, I feel healthy. I feel clear. I feel centred."

Winslet also insisted that she is happy to be single.

Kate Winslet says no to plastic surgery

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has no intention of going under the knife – because she is satisfied with her body.

“No, I have never tried any of that stuff. I don’t have parts of my body that I hate or would like to trade for somebody else’s or wish I could surgically adjust into some fantasy version of what they are,” she said.

The star was talking to the April edition of U.S. Glamour magazine, for which she posed in a figure-hugging Victoria Beckham dress, reports the Daily Mail.

The 35-year-old admitted that she hadn''t always been as confident in her looks.

“When I was heavy, people would say to me - and it was such a backhanded compliment - they would say, ''You''ve got such a beautiful face.''”

“In the way of, like, ''Oh, isn''t it a shame that from the neck down you''re questionable.''”

Winslet wins damages over exercise libel

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet accepted libel damages of 25,000 pounds ($40,000) on Tuesday over allegations she publicly lied about her exercise regime. The British star, who won a best actress Academy Award for her role in ‘The Reader’, was not at London’s High Court for the settlement of her action against Associated Newspapers. Winslet, 34, sued the company over an article published in the Daily Mail newspaper in January called “Should Kate Winslet win an Oscar for the world’s most irritating actress?” The article had disputed Winslet’s assertion that she did not attend a gym but exercised for 20 minutes or so each day at home, suggesting that the actress must have worked harder on her figure. Her lawyer Rachel Atkins said the story, accompanied by several naked photographs of the actress in various films, was offensive in tone. She added that the newspaper published an apology in September accepting that Winslet had not been duplicitous, and had agreed to pay the damages and costs. reuters

Playboy wants Kate Winslet nude on the cover

2009 is surely turning into an eventful year for Kate Winslet, for after winning an Oscar, two Golden Globes and a Bafta, the actress has been offered a spot on the Playboy cover.

Magazine mogul Hugh Hefner revealed he would love to have the Titanic star join previous posers including Marilyn Monroe, Sharon Stone, Pamela Anderson and Charlize Theron.

“There's no question we would be interested in Kate,” the Sun quoted him as saying. “It's a competitive market, more than it used to be, so she would be a most welcome addition in our pages,” he added.

Kate, who has in the past posed nude in many of her movies, including The Reader, however, had previously sworn not to repeat her clothes-dropping act in future following fears of being typecast.

She had said: “I don't want to be known as that actress who gets her kit off.”