Keira Knightley reveals she suffered from a mental breakdown at 22

The star was 20 when she was nominated for a BAFTA for Atonement, but says she could 'only hear the negative stuff'

The Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley has revealed that she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after suffering from a mental breakdown at the age of 22.

On The Hollywood Reporter's podcast, the Begin Again star, who started working at the age of six, spoke about how her quick rise to stardom and the hectic working life affected her mental health.

PHOTO: THE INDEPENDENT

"It's amazing looking back at it from the outside - you're like, whoa, that was hit after hit after hit!" Knightley said, "But, from the inside, all you're hearing is the criticism, really. And, also, I was aware that I didn't know what I was doing, you know? I didn't know my trade, I didn't know my craft."

The 33-year-old actor commented, "I knew that there was something that worked sometimes, but I didn't know how to capture that."

PHOTO: REUTERS

The Pride and Prejudice star was 20 when she was nominated for a BAFTA for Atonement, but says she could "only hear the negative stuff".

"I did have a mental breakdown at 22, so I did take a year off there and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder because of all of that stuff," she added.

PHOTO: TIME

Her downfall came shortly after she filmed 2008's The Duchess and it weighed on her so heavily that she couldn't face red carpets when 2007's Atonement was being recognised for awards.

As a result, she went into "deep therapy" to get her through the awards season. Knightley said, "I actually did hypnotherapy so that I could stand on the red carpet at the BAFTAs and not have a panic attack."

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