Keira Knightley says the extent of harassment against women is “depressing” and that “literally” everyone has experienced some form of misogyny in public.

The actress told Harper’s Bazaar that she, like many other women, takes precautions when walking home alone due to the threat of negative attention.

Asked whether she has experienced harassment, the 36-year-old said told the magazine: “Yes. I mean, everybody has.

“Literally, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been, in some way, whether it’s being flashed at, or groped, or some guy saying they’re going to slit your throat, or punching you in the face, or whatever it is, everybody has.

“It was when women started listing all the precautions they take when they walk home to make sure they’re safe, and I thought ‘I do every single one of them, and I don’t even think about it’.

“It’s f****** depressing.”

Knightley, who recently pulled out of starring in period drama The Essex Serpent over reported childcare concerns during the pandemic, also recalled how she had kept her family’s morale high during lockdown.

She said: “We have a trampoline in our garden, and we decided we were only allowed to wear dresses on it.

“I put on red lipstick every day, and every bit of Chanel that I have in my cupboard, and my daughter Edie had Chanel ribbons plaited into her hair and fairy wings.

“I thought ‘What is the point of these lovely things sitting in the wardrobe, when it feels quite apocalyptic and scary outside?’ It felt so important to be really happy for the kids!”

The actress has two children with her husband, Klaxons keyboardist James Righton – Edie, born in May 2015, and Delilah, born in September 2019.