Kate Winslet was so determined to complete a book to raise funds for her autism charity, she headed to a star-studded event after surgery in an attempt to meet Bill Clinton.

The actress roped in her famous pals, including Jude Law and Ben Stiller, to pose for photos wearing a “magical” headpiece for the tome in aid of the Golden Hat Foundation, which she set up to help her friend’s autistic son Keli.

Winslet’s mission came to a halt when she underwent a minor operation — but she refused to take doctors’ advice and rest up, and instead headed out to a party in a bid to land former U.S. President Clinton for her book.

She tells Ladies’ Home Journal, “You wouldn’t believe some of the things I did to get that hat to people. Like, I gatecrashed a private function to get the hat to Bill Clinton.

“It was a dinner party of about 30 people, and my friend foolishly gave me a ticket. I’d just had minor surgery and I had stitches, and I was like, ‘I don’t care, I need Bill Clinton, f**k it.’ So I hobbled in to this party in my cocktail dress, and begged. Unfortunately he was surrounded by handlers who wouldn’t let him put it on. But I needed to try. And most of the time it was fine.

“A lot of the time it was just me racing around the city to different events. Once my children and I made a road trip to watch Michael Phelps swim in Baltimore, so we could get him into the hat. I was terrified of losing it — and I was sure I’d lost it several times. See, at some point I want to auction it off to raise more money.”

The book, entitled “The Golden Hat”, is set for release in April, 2012.

Source: Contactmusic

Titanic star Kate Winslet graces the March 2012 cover of Ladies’ Home Journal and opens up about motherhood and her new book, “The Golden Hat: Talking Back To Autism”. While Kate’s children — daughter Mia, 11 and son Joe, 8 — don’t have autism, the Oscar-winner is on a mission to dispel myths and raise awareness for people living autism.

On the biggest misunderstanding about children with autism: “That they are not capable of understanding anything, that they are completely locked in their own worlds and aren’t paying attention to anything around them or that they are disinterested. Even those closest to them sometimes believe that. And so often that proves not to be the case.”

On if she’s ever worked with children with disabilities: “Yes, I was a spare pair of hands at a summer camp for disabled children when I was a teenager and there were kids there of varying disabilities. There was this beautiful tall young man who was 20 or 21. I won’t say he was treated unfairly, but because he didn’t speak, moved slowly and had significant sensory issues, nobody knew how to handle him. So it was a case of just managing his day. But there were moments when I would look him in the eye, and he would look at me, and I knew there was somebody in there. And I never forgot that experience. In retrospect, he was probably autistic.”

On feeling the importance of giving back in a profound way: “Well, my father is disabled — he lost his foot in an accident when I was young. It was awful, it caused all sorts of problems, both physically and psychologically — and for a while my family was supported by a charitable trust. So I understand on a very personal level what a charitable organization can do.”

On what motherhood means to her: “For me, motherhood is not about signing the check to get your kids and the best school; it’s about giving them the freedom to be who they are.”

Source: celebritybabyscoop

Kate Winslet has a personal connection to charitable causes — because her family had to fall back on the generosity of others after her father “lost his foot” in an accident.

The Titanic star gives a large portion of her film wages to her chosen causes and reveals it’s something she has always felt compelled to do after being on the other side of hand-outs as a child.

She tells Ladies’ Home Journal magazine, “My father… lost his foot in an accident when I was young.

“It was awful, it caused all sorts of problems, both physically and psychologically — and for a while my family was supported by a charitable trust. So I understand on a very personal level what a charitable organization can do.”

Source: Contactmusic