Keira Knightley Gives Rare Family Update as She Shares Daughter's Dyslexia Diagnosis

Mar. 15, 2025

Keira Knightley.Photo: Ian West/PA Images via Getty

Keira Knightleyis giving a rare update about her daughters.ThePirates of the Caribbeanstar, 39, revealed that one of her daughters is dyslexic — a trait that Knightley herself shares — while appearing on the Aug. 5 episode of the iHeartPodcastRuthie’s Table 4. The actress shares her daughters Delilah, 4, and Edie, 9, with husbandJames Righton, 40.“We have a dyslexic kid,” Knightley said on the podcast. “Her memory is absolutely amazing.“Righton, who also appeared on the podcast, shared that their daughter will “memorize the book basically — it’s amazing.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Keira Knightley (left) and James Righton.Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via GettyKnightley spoke about her own diagnosis at age 6, saying that her experience with dyslexia actually led to her becoming an actor.“The school said, ‘Look, she can’t read at all and we need a carrot to dangle in front of her. Do you know if there’s something that she wants?’ " the mom of two recalled her teachers asking her parents. “And they said, ‘Well, she wants an agent.’ “It was getting an agent and beginning to act that finally turned the tide for Knightley, who was motivated to keep her grades up in order to act.“It did go up though! It was a carrot!” Knightley joked on the podcast.Keira Knightley.David Parry/Getty ImagesIn April 2022, Knightley told PEOPLE that her two daughters seem to have no interest in watching their famous mother onscreen.Noting that Edie “has not” seen any of her film roles — which range from thePirates of the Caribbeanseries toPride & Prejudice— Knightley told PEOPLE exclusively, “She’s completely uninterested.““I did a version ofThe Nutcrackera couple of years ago, and she actually came on set with me to that one when she was 3, so I thought, ‘Oh, this year maybe she wants to watch that?’ " she continued. “[But] she said ‘No.’ ““So she is completely uninterested in seeing me in any way at all on television, which is completely fair enough,” Knightley added. “I think that’s very healthy.”

Keira Knightleyis giving a rare update about her daughters.

ThePirates of the Caribbeanstar, 39, revealed that one of her daughters is dyslexic — a trait that Knightley herself shares — while appearing on the Aug. 5 episode of the iHeartPodcastRuthie’s Table 4. The actress shares her daughters Delilah, 4, and Edie, 9, with husbandJames Righton, 40.

“We have a dyslexic kid,” Knightley said on the podcast. “Her memory is absolutely amazing.”

Righton, who also appeared on the podcast, shared that their daughter will “memorize the book basically — it’s amazing.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Keira Knightley (left) and James Righton.Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Knightley spoke about her own diagnosis at age 6, saying that her experience with dyslexia actually led to her becoming an actor.

“The school said, ‘Look, she can’t read at all and we need a carrot to dangle in front of her. Do you know if there’s something that she wants?’ " the mom of two recalled her teachers asking her parents. “And they said, ‘Well, she wants an agent.’ "

It was getting an agent and beginning to act that finally turned the tide for Knightley, who was motivated to keep her grades up in order to act.

“It did go up though! It was a carrot!” Knightley joked on the podcast.

Keira Knightley.David Parry/Getty Images

In April 2022, Knightley told PEOPLE that her two daughters seem to have no interest in watching their famous mother onscreen.

Noting that Edie “has not” seen any of her film roles — which range from thePirates of the Caribbeanseries toPride & Prejudice— Knightley told PEOPLE exclusively, “She’s completely uninterested.”

“I did a version ofThe Nutcrackera couple of years ago, and she actually came on set with me to that one when she was 3, so I thought, ‘Oh, this year maybe she wants to watch that?’ " she continued. “[But] she said ‘No.’ "

“So she is completely uninterested in seeing me in any way at all on television, which is completely fair enough,” Knightley added. “I think that’s very healthy.”

source: people.com