British actress Kate Winslet has denied she knowingly wore fur for a recent photo-shoot with Vanity Fair magazine - insisting she thought the garment was fake.

The Titanic star stripped off for a Catherine Deneuve-inspired shoot, posing provocatively on a sofa wearing nothing but stockings and high heels, with the grey fur throw draped across her shoulders. Winslet was subsequently criticized by animal rights campaigners, who accuse the actress of glamorizing the wearing of real pelts.

However, Winslet insists she didn't know the garment was made of genuine fox fur. Her spokeswoman says, "She thought it was false. There was apparently false fur there and real fur there. And she definitely understood it was false. Kate never wears fur. She's very firm on that."

A representative for Vanity Fair magazine adds, "The fur used in the photograph was real. We thought Miss Winslet was aware of this and we're sorry for the miscommunication."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)