Keira Knightley reflects on eating disorder speculation early in her career: 'It's public shaming, isn't it?'

"It’s obviously part of my psyche, given how young I was when it happened," says the star.

Keira Knightley is looking back on being body-shamed by tabloids early in her career.

The Academy Award-nominated Pride & Prejudice star, 39, spoke about the trauma tied to the constant speculation that she was anorexic in her 20s in a candid conversation with The Times.

"I knew I wasn’t. I knew I was eating,” said Knightley, adding of that period, “In that classic trauma way I don’t remember it. There’s been a complete delete, and then some things will come up and I’ll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because, ultimately, it’s public shaming, isn’t it? It’s obviously part of my psyche, given how young I was when it happened. I’ve been made around it.”

Related: Why Boston Strangler stars Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon 'can't watch' true crime anymore

The actress has been vocal about how her rise to stardom negatively impacted her mental health, previously revealing that she suffered a "mental breakdown" at the age of 22 and took a year off acting after she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Mental health wasn't spoken about as openly during that period, and an emotional Knightley also recalled the jarring experience of once being asked about Mary-Kate Olsen's troubles with anorexia. (The former child star checked into a facility in 2004 to seek help for the condition.)

"I remember viscerally one of the Olsen twins had anorexia, and she went into a clinic,” Knightley recalled. “I remember being asked about it on a press tour, like it was a joke. She was meant to be shamed for seeking help for anorexia. I remember sitting there just being like, ‘Wow, this is wild.’ Can you imagine?”

"That made me really emotional," added Knightley. "That’s not even about me, it’s about her. I still can’t bear it.”

Related: Keira Knightley on why a cake on The Great British Baking Show made her cry

The Atonement star got through that period with support from family and friends, and she participated in therapy. “The unbelievably lucky thing was I come from an incredibly loving background and I always had really nice boyfriends," she said. "I had lovely, lovely boyfriends."

Speaking with Associated Press in 2006, Knightley denied speculation that she was anorexic and noted that her family has a history of the condition. "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," said Knightley. "I know it's not something to be taken lightly and I don't."