Keira Knightley is a British actress known for her roles in Pirates of The Caribbean, Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, and many other well-known films. She’s also outspoken about her dyslexia and how it has affected her and serves as an inspiration to others who face dyslexia as well.
Knightley was born in London, England on March 26th, 1985. She attended Teddington School, and at age 6, was diagnosed with dyslexia. Initially, it had seemed like she was one of the best readers in her class, but she was simply reciting books she knew by heart. When she was given a book that she was unfamiliar with, her teachers realized that she had major difficulties with reading. Her teachers and mother didn’t want to see her discouraged, though, and reassured her that being dyslexic “doesn’t mean you’re stupid…it just means that you work in a different way.”
By age 11, with the help of her parents, she was deemed to have “gotten over it sufficiently.” However, she still has trouble reading, and can’t read aloud. Her dyslexia was a major hurdle in her early interest in acting, and she would often trip up on lines or even be unable to read them. Her mother ended up using her interest in acting as motivation to better her reading ability. Knightley was assigned reading tasks, and as a reward, would be allowed to do various acting-related clubs & classes.
Despite having “gotten over it sufficiently,” Knightley still struggles with dyslexia in her day-to-day life. She’s shared the methods that she uses to cope with it, and for her, the approach is straightforward. “A lot of it is down to perseverance and, hopefully, you will have parents who will work hard with you, because that’s what mine did. I still have days when reading just won’t work, but most days it will.”
Knightley faces her dyslexia head-on and is a voice of inspiration for others to do the same. But of course, her success and perseverance aren’t something she accomplished alone. Her teachers and family all played a part in helping her overcome the challenges she faced. Having a network of supportive people is one of the best strategies to overcome any challenge, and through hard work and determination, anyone can be successful.
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