Keira Knightley recently opened up about her daughter's dyslexia, a learning condition the pair actually share.
"We have a dyslexic kid," Knightley said, while speaking on the Monday, August 5 episode of Ruthie's Table 4 podcast. The mother-of-two added, "Her memory is absolutely amazing." She and husband James Righton, 40, did not specify which daughter is dyslexic. They share 9-year-old Edie and 4-year-old Delilah.
Knightley's husband of 11 years chimed in, "She'll memorize the book, basically — it's amazing." Dyslexia, also called a reading disability, involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and how they relate to letters and words, and is a result of differences in the areas of the brain that process language, per the Mayo Clinic.
The Boston Strangler actress found out she had dyslexia when she was 6 years old, and the diagnosis actually pushed her toward acting. "The school said, 'Look, she can't read at all, and we need a carrot to dangle in front of her,'" Knightely explained. "'Do you know if there's something that she wants?'"
Knightley recalled her parents admitting that she wanted an agent. Getting that agent really did help to motivate the Pride & Prejudice star. "It was always, 'If your grades go up, you're allowed to keep on acting, but if they go down, then it stops,'" Knightley shared. Her grades did in fact go up, and the actress quipped, "It was a carrot!"
The school's plan worked, and Knightley eventually found herself at the top of her class. However, she shared on the podcast that she does still struggle with reading. "Sight reading, I find really hard," she said, explaining, "It really bounces. Basically, I record it and listen to it. That's how I learn it."
Her great memory and focus helped to make her the successful actress she is today. Knightley had previously spoken about her dyslexia with the Boston Globe in 2005. "I was so single-minded about acting," said the star, who has since racked up more than 60 acting credits.
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