(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Keira Knightley says becoming famous broke something in her, because she was so ill-equipped to cope with fame.

The actress has starred in a host of hit movies such as Atonement, Pride & Prejudice and several of the Pirates of the Caribbean films despite being just 25. She is known to be fiercely protective of her privacy, and has revealed dealing with her star status is something shes struggled with.

She appeared alongside Sienna Miller in 2008s The Edge of Love, about two women in love with the same man. Paparazzi regularly followed the women, something Keira could not deal with at all.

Sienna was better at coping with it. I think it broke something in me, she explained. I was told very early on that if I didnt go out to openings and parties and events I would be left alone. I didnt, and they still didnt leave me alone. I knew it was part of the deal in the life I had signed up to, but the fear of it has never left me. Im still not good at being recognised. I wear scruffy clothes and hats and keep my head well down. Im sure people must think Im a complete b***h, but Im just very shy.

Keira believes her attitude has made her unpopular with some people, as she can appear frosty. She is rarely seen out with friends in nightclubs and avoids discussing her romantic relationships. The star realises she is often criticised for being aloof, but it is just what she needs to do in order to get by.

I was so young when it started. I was involved in Pirates from the age of 17 until 21. At that time people couldnt get enough of people falling out of nightclubs with their knickers showing and I wasnt giving them that and I think it infuriated them, she told the January edition of British Vogue magazine. (C) Cover Media