Keira Knightley has said she is more relaxed about the way people perceive her now because she has stopped Googling herself.

The Imitation Game star, 29, has admitted that in the past she has found it difficult to have a thick skin about things her critics have said, but is dealing with it by ignoring negative comments.

She told the Daily Mirror: "Have I not got parts because of the way I look? Yes. I have got parts because of the way I look? Yes. What can you do about it? I look the way I look, I am not willing to cut my face up.

"Everything up to 25 I was pretty neurotic and taking everything far too seriously.

"I found it difficult to step back from it and I was taking it very personally. Partly because as an actor you don't want necessarily that thicker skin, and I couldn't figure how to be open emotionally and yet get a thick enough skin so that things didn't hurt."

Keira said things had improved now: "I don't know if it was a chemical thing, a certain kind of realisation that it really didn't matter - and a sudden realisation of what you have control of and you don't. You suddenly have a moment where you go, actually I can't do anything about that.

"I don't Google myself - that was the problem before 25. Not that I did it all the time, but I certainly saw enough to say, 'Oh you shouldn't look'. I mean, you don't need to look, it is not helpful.

"You have to be quite vigilant about it. Again I think this is probably the same if you are on social media and if you do put anything out in the public, you are opening yourself up now to a lot of criticism and a lot of people telling you they hate you."