Jun 17, 2007, 7:00 GMT
Thandie Newton used to dress like "Obi-Wan Kenobi".
Thandie Newton - Hollywood, CA © Glenn Harris / Photorazzi
The 'Crash' actress desperately tried to hide her body when she younger and says she had "terrible" fashion sense.
Thandie told Britain's Observer magazine: "I pride myself on having good taste now, but it was terrible growing up. I dressed like a 40-year-old woman when I was teenager. I wore long skirts, tights, big sweaters and lots of make-up.
"My next phase was shapeless clothes. I was desperately insecure about my body. I was so unhappy during my adolescence that I wanted to hide myself all the time. That hit its pitch at university. I was so covered up I looked like Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Thandie, 34, says her attitude to fashion changed when she fell in love with her husband Oli on the set of BBC drama 'In Your Dreams'.
She explained: "Oli is such a pure, absorbing, unthreatening person. He allowed me to love myself back through him. He would never need me to be a trophy girlfriend. It wasn't as simple as him saying, 'Oh babe, you look good in a short skirt'.
"It's been a long burn, in fact it's only in the last year that I have been comfortable wearing a short skirt."
Thandie also revealed she dreads being criticised for her red carpet outfits.
She said: "Dressing up for dinner with friends or a low-key party is much more fun than doing it for the red carpet. No-one is judging you when you dress up for friends and you just feel delicious."
(C) BANG Media International
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