Keira Knightley has learned not to "f**k" with ‘Cinderella’ fans.
The 33-year-old actress provoked a backlash from fans of the fictional character after revealing she’d banned her three-year-old daughter Edie from watching movies that encourage her to wait around "for a rich guy to rescue her".
Speaking in October, Keira explained: "[Cinderella] waits around for a rich guy to rescue her. Don’t. Rescue yourself! Obviously."
Keira also said she was opposed to her daughter watching ‘The Little Mermaid’ – even though she’s a fan of the film.
She said: "This is the one that I’m quite annoyed about because I really like the film. I mean, the songs are great, but do not give your voice up for a man. Hello! … I love ‘The Little Mermaid’! That one’s a little tricky – but I’m keeping to it."
But the actress’ comments divided opinion across the world, and she’s now admitted to being surprised by the strength of the reaction.
She told the Guardian newspaper: "I thought I was just being perky in an interview. My God, people feel really strongly. Don’t f**k with Cinderella. Her fans will end you."
Meanwhile, Keira recently revealed that having a breakdown helped her to cope with motherhood.
The actress believes that suffering a breakdown at the age of 22, when she first found fame, and the resulting therapy, helped her to deal with her problems.
She said: "Your body just created life and now it’s shifting in order to feed it. That’s monumental and we’re all expected to go: ‘Oh no, all good, I’m groovy – I haven’t slept, I’m fine. That I’m able to forgive myself for not being brilliant [as a parent] every f**king day is probably because of that breakdown.’"