Kate Winslet’s career has taken her from Berkshire to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood as she has scooped up multiple awards.

Berkshire-born actress Kate Winslet called out the “people in power” to “criminalise harmful content” during a BAFTA acceptance speech last night (May 14).

The 47-year-old Oscar-winning actress starred alongside her daughter, Mia Threapleton, in I Am Ruth which shows the relationship between a mother and child who is dealing with mental health pressures coming from the online world.

During the speech, Winslet said: “And for young people who have become addicted to social media and its darker sides, this does not need to be your life to people in power, and to people who can make change, please, criminalise harmful content.

 

 

“And for young people who have become addicted to social media and its darker sides, this does not need to be your life to people in power, and to people who can make change, please, criminalise harmful content.

“Please eradicate harmful content, we don’t want it.

“We want our children back.

“We don’t want to lie awake, terrified, by our children’s mental health and to any young person who might be listening, who feels that they are trapped in an unhealthy world."

Her speech continues by telling young people to "ask for help" as "there is no shame in admitting that you need support".

Before attracting the world's attention, she started her life in Reading. She attended St Mary and All Saints' Church of England Primary school, where she made her stage debut as Mary in the school's nativity performance.

Winslet began her acting career at the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead, where she was head girl.

At the Berkshire school, she took part in various school productions including Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Winslet worked with the Starmaker Theatre Company in Reading at the same time.

She was forced to leave the theatre school as she couldn't afford the fees - but she didn't give up.

Her first on-screen appearance, at age 15, was in British television series Dark Season.

Kate Winslet rose to global stardom after her leading role in Titanic alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.

Since then, she has won many awards including an Oscar, a Grammy, two Primetime Emmy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Golden Globe Awards.

Speaking on the Gaby Roslin podcast, Winslet recalled her life in Reading: "After the first film I ever did, Heavenly Creatures when I was 17, I went right back to the delicatessen I worked in in Reading because that’s what you do when you’re a jobbing actor, it’s very hard to make a good living from acting, certainly when you’re starting out.”

She has been named in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world list, on multiple occasions.

Winslet was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2012. She also recieved a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014.

The actress now lives in West Sussex with her husband and her three children.