Gwyneth 'desperate to change public image'

Gwyneth Paltrow has said that she is unhappy about the way she is portrayed by the British media and has insisted that she is no ice queen.

According to Bang Showbiz, the 35-year-old, who is the female lead in new film Iron Man, said that she is much more down to earth than she is given credit for.

"People think I'm aloof, or cold, or that I breathe rarefied air - that's not me," she said, according to the entertainment website.

Paltrow, who won an Oscar for her role in Shakespeare in Love, also revealed that she suffers from a lack of confidence after watching herself in 1996 film Emma.

"People came over to watch me in Emma and I was like, 'Oh. My. God. I'm the worst actress ever.' The next day I was filming Shakespeare in Love entrenched in the idea I was unwatchably bad," she said, according to GQ magazine.

The actress stunned audiences at the UK premiere of Iron Man last week when she turned up in a black lacy mini-dress and towering high-heeled shoes, a far cry from her usually demure English rose wardrobe. She also showed off her new wavy bob after having her long tresses chopped recently.

Iron Man also stars Robert Downey Jnr as the eponymous hero and will be released in cinemas this week.