KEIRA KNIGHTLEY is thrilled her hit movie LOVE ACTUALLY has become synonymous with the Christmas countdown, because she's now part of her fans' festive period.

The 2003 movie was a collaborative film starring Knightley, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy and Emma Thompson, and is regularly shown on U.K. TV in the lead-up to Christmas Day.

And Knightley loves having a film which has become a must-see for families at this time of year.

She tells the Huffington Post, "It's amazing that it turned that kind of Christmas movie, isn't it? I don't think anyone realized it was going to do that.

"It's an extraordinary thing when people come up and go, 'Oh, you know, that's the thing I watch every Christmas'. It's a lovely thing. That's why you make them."