Kate Winslet Always Happy to Help Charities Because They Helped Her

Kate Winslet has a personal connection to charitable causes - because herfamily had to fall back on the generosity of others after her father "lost his foot" in an accident.

The Titanic star gives a large portion of her film wages to her chosen causes and reveals it's something she has always felt compelled to do after being on the other side of hand-outs as a child.

She tells Ladies' Home Journal magazine, "My father... lost his foot in an accident when I was young.

"It was awful, it caused all sorts of problems, both physically and psychologically - and for a while my family was supported by a charitable trust.

"So I understand on a very personal level what a charitable organisation can do".