Emma Watson has confessed that even her tough old self found it extremely difficult to cope with the negative backlash that her HeForShe feminism campaign heralded, despite the fact that she knew the whole point was about people not understanding female oppression. Sometimes she didn't even want to get out of bed.

Emma WatsonEmma Watson 'sulked' over HeForShe backlash

It's not always easy to find sympathy for gorgeous, wealthy superstars when they are going through a hard time, especially when they've never experienced financial hardship and they've had a particularly privileged education. But the 'Beauty and the Beast' star took a while to find the strength to continue when people started criticising her activism work, especially when she had taken a year out of her usual work to explore her humanitarian passion.

'It really toughened me up. There is a level of criticism that comes with being an actress and a public figure, which I expect, but once you take a stance on something like feminism, that's a completely different ball game', she told Elle Magazine in an interview. 'There were a couple of days when I just didn't want to come out from under the duvet... I realised I needed 24 hours to sulk.'

More: Why Emma Watson is so right for 'Beauty and the Beast'

We've all been there, Emma. Even with her yoga and meditation teaching certificates, she still needed a gold old-fashioned moment of wallowing in self pity. It's all worth it though, because this week she was awarded the Woman of the Year Award at the ELLE Style Awards 2017. But even with accolades such as this and her work as a UN Ambassador, she still sometimes feels overwhelmed by people's perceptions of her - which is why you can't expect her first book anytime soon.

'I need to see and do a bit more first', she said. 'I'm no expert, and when people push me into a corner of "here's Emma Watson to lecture you on feminism", it's uncomfortable because I am aware I have a long way to go. I am not sure I deserve all the respect I get yet, but I'm working on it.'