Keira comes over all coy

Keira Knightley picked up a prestigious British film award only to confess she still doesn't feel like a star.

The 20-year-old actress won Variety UK Personality of the Year at the British Independent Film Awards for her roles in the Jane Austen adaptation Pride And Prejudice and Domino in which she played the late bounty hunter Domino Harvey.

"I still don't feel like a star," she said. "But it's lovely to be in a couple of films that people have liked so much. That's what you make films for. So it's nice to have a few that people have liked. I don't think you can ask for anything more."

Accepting the award at the Hammersmith Palais, Knightley joked: "It's all about my personality and nothing to do with the way I look."

Stephen Gaydos, executive editor of Variety, the Hollywood industry magazine which gave Knightley the award, said: "There's no brighter star in the world today than Keira Knightley, who's gone in a few short years from breakout success in Bend It Like Beckham to blockbuster hits."

Knightley is currently filming two back-to-back sequels to Pirates Off The Caribbean.

The Constant Gardener, the acclaimed thriller based on the John Le Carré novel, was named best independent film and its stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz were best actor and best actress. Fiennes and Weisz, who were not present, are strongly tipped to win nominations at next year's Oscars.

Rosamund Pike, who also starred in Pride And Prejudice, was best supporting actress for her role in The Libertine while Tilda Swinton won the Richard Harris Award for outstanding achievement.

Swinton plays the White Witch in the £90 million Hollywood film The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, which is released later this month.