HOLLYWOOD - Actress Kate Winslet pulled out of the London premiere of her new film Enigma just hours before the event on Monday, upsetting many of the fans who had hoped to catch a glimpse of her. In a statement, Winslet said that in the light of "recent personal events," she felt it would be better to stay out of the limelight, Reuters reported.
"I'm very sorry not to be there to celebrate the premiere of Enigma of which I'm very proud and also to pay my respects to those lives lost in the recent tragedy in New York," Winslet said.
The premiere was due to be her first public appearance since she split from film director Jim Threapleton on Sept. 3 for undisclosed reasons. The couple met on the set of her 1997 film Hideous Kinky, got engaged within months and married the following year.
"In light of recent events I feel that, for the sake of myself and my family, a short time out of the spotlight would be beneficial," she said.
Threapleton and Winslet have an 11-month-old baby named Mia. "Kate is a good mother," Threapleton told the British paper The Mirror. "We are looking forward to having a positive future with Mia. That's the only important thing at the moment."
The couple continues to run their production company, Telltale Films, which aims to develop and produce U.K.- and European-based films together.
Adapted from the best-selling novel by Robert Harris, Enigma is a tale of wartime code breakers. It was also produced by Mick Jagger's production company, Jagged Films.
"She's not afraid of terrorism, but she is afraid of the British press," Jagger told The Associated Press. "She's having a bit of a problem, I think, being in the spotlight."
According to Reuters, the media speculated that the 25-year-old actress was having an affair with Enigma co-star Dougray Scott, but Winslet has denied the rumors.
Scott arrived at the premiere with his wife, Sarah Trevis, and was surprised when he learned that Winslet was not turning up.
"I didn't know she wasn't coming, it's none of my business," he told BBC News.
Among the attendees were guest of honor Prince Charles, actress Saffron Burrows, and Jagger's father and his daughter Elizabeth, who were there to support the rocker.
Director Michael Apted dedicated the film to the New Yorkers who are still suffering from the Sept. 11 tragedy.
Having recently flown in from the U.S., Apted said he observed "a great deal of strength of spirit and numerous stories of the many, many people who are trying to save lives," BBC News reported.
"The mayor Rudolph Giuliani was telling people to go out and visit friends and pick up their lives. And it is in that spirit that I introduce Enigma."