Kate Winslet has urged young people that they should try to feel “indestructible” as they pursue their goals in life, opening up about her experiences of being bullied over her weight while she was at school.

The 41 year old actress and mother-of-three gave a speech at the fourth annual WE Day at London’s SSE Arena on Wednesday (March 22nd), and said that young people should try to ignore bullying and maintain their sense of self-worth as they follow their dreams.

Kate WinsletKate Winslet speaking at WE Day in London

“I had been bullied at school. They called me Blubber. Teased me for wanting to act. Locked me in the cupboard. Laughed at me,” she told the crowd. “I felt that I wasn't good enough. I didn't look right, and all because I didn't fit into someone else's idea of ‘perfect’. I didn't have the perfect body. And I would rarely hear anything positive.”

Winslet, who won the 2008 Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Reader, got her big break when she landed the iconic role of Rose in Titanic in 1997, despite feeling she was the “most unlikely candidate” for the part.

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“I didn't lock myself away and give up on my dream. I fought back. I had to ignore the negative comments. I had to believe in myself. I had to choose to rise above it all, and I had to work hard. You have to be indestructible to do what you love, and believe that you are worth it. And sometimes that's the hardest part.”

Winslet’s eldest two children are in their teenage years, and feels that social media prevents children in their formative years from “being [their] true selves”, and she also urged youngsters to tone down their screen time.

“Your school years are years you will never get back. Don't waste them. But don’t waste them feeling crushed by pressure either. Pressure to achieve the highest grades, or to conform to pressure exerted by people around you.

“Put down your phone. Today, social media robs so many of us of just basic conversation. We are constantly distracted from being our true selves in a world that is fuelled by Inst-tweet-bookface, as I like to call it…. Let's think about how else to share - share a real chat with the person sitting next to you, share stories, share being in this moment. By talking. Or with a hug.”

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