A deflection compensated roll, comprising a shaft, a shell configured to rotate around the shaft, one or more loading units between the shaft and the shell configured to adjust a nip load profile. The loading unit comprising a pressure chamber, a seal configured to seal the pressure chamber with pressurized gas, and a flexible mounting configured to mount the seal 4 flexibly on the shaft. Also, a method for controlling a nip load with a deflection compensated roll is disclosed.