That was Kate for you: an English rose from Reading, Berkshire, who just happened to become a Hollywood star, a real woman proud of her post-pregnancy body. Not for her the celluloid chimera of eternal youth, infinite legs and a gravity-free bosom.

And yet one hint surfaced that Winslet, like so many other stars, had hidden shallows. As the interview progressed she demanded that the writer should make no reference to the fact that she had a domestic cleaner.

It is hardly a crime against humanity, let alone middle-class readers, to employ a cleaner. But a felony against the Hollywood machine? Winslet the star was still the ordinary girl-next-door who had struck it lucky — and having a cleaner to tidy the mansion did not fit the publicity bill.

So there was always more to Winslet than mets the eye — especially in her newest incarnation where she appears svelte as a gazelle splashed across GQ magazine.

She looks drop-dead, pick-off-the-shelf flawless and gorgeous. Swell breasts and wasp waist perch on legs like stilts, while a perfect complexion glows on her chiselled cheeks (top and bottom).

How has she transformed from voluptuous to vamp? Winslet is the latest recruit to the celebrity miracle cure of our times: the magic mouse diet, a surefire way to lose pounds. It’s everywhere and it works like this. Take one mouse; add several photographs and a large pinch of salt; and chill plenty of champagne.

First stir all the photographs into a computer. Marinate for several hours with the mouse, click, click, click. This should excise all the fat and any unsightly blemishes. Strain through the sieve of truth (it may require some pushing) and serve up in a glossy magazine with the large pinch of salt. Finally, toast the results with Bollinger as sales of the magazine soar.

This is what happened to Winslet, whose womanly curves have been digitally “manipulated” — ie removed — from the GQ photographs. Like the iceberg that sank the Titanic, a fair chunk of her remains submerged.

“Various parts have been improved, including her stomach and legs,” admitted Dylan Jones, editor of the magazine. “Almost no picture that appears in GQ — or any other magazine or newspaper — has not been digitally altered in some way.”

It’s like liposuction without blood or pain and, according to the magazine, Winslet approved her photographs.

“Kate saw the pictures before publication and loved them,” said Jones. “As far as I remember she was aware of the alterations. I’ll be very surprised and a little disappointed if she is anything other than completely happy.”

In celebrity publishing, however, reality shifts at the speed of soundbite. By Friday, as controversy over the pictures grew, Winslet’s publicist in New York denied the actor had seen or approved the alterations.

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