Kate Winslet has revealed she is "grateful" that her full and rich life has made her into the woman she is today. In December, the actress tied the knot for the third time with Sir Richard Branson's nephew and associate, Ned RocknRoll. The couple met following Kate's divorce from director Sam Mendes in 2009, a separation which Kate says had made her stronger personally and professionally.
"I've really learnt a great deal about myself, in the last four years in particular," she told Harper’s Bazaar magazine. "I think I can see more clearly now - about how the pattern of past experiences has shaped who I am, and the characters I have played - and I'm grateful for that. "I have so much more material to draw on for work - rubble, bricks - and I know I can carry it now." Kate and her ex-husband are parents to a son, Joe, who is eight. The actress also has a daughter Mia,12, from her first marriage to Jim Threapleton, with whom she parted ways in 2001.
During her chat with Harper's Bazaar, Kate also discussed the Queen, who recently presented her with a CBE for services to drama. The monarch is now recovering after a brief stay in hospital, her first in a decade, for a stomach virus.
But the Titanic actress says the Queen was on top form when they met: "She looked really well and pretty and fresh, and she was wearing a lovely pale-yellow dress. "Kate added that the royal had "beautiful skin" and "wonderful thick hair".
The actress and her new husband Ned have been inseparable since they met at his uncle Richard Branson's idyllic Caribbean hideaway, Necker Island, in August 2011. This was shortly after Kate had split from model boyfriend Louis Dowler. Part of the attraction for Kate is her husband's fun-loving approach to life. Formerly Ned Abel Smith, he changed his name by deed poll in 2008 to Ned RocknRoll, "as a fun reminder to make sure every moment of every day is spent wisely and enjoying life".
