Olivia Colman was as shocked as anyone else when she learnt she had beaten the Hollywood favourite Glenn Close to win the Oscar for best actress.
She held back tears as she went up to receive the award at the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles, describing it as ‘genuinely quite stressful’ before adding: ‘This is hilarious – I’ve got an Oscar!’
In her moving acceptance speech, she went on to apologetically address Close, saying: ‘This is not how I wanted it to be. And I think you’re amazing and I love you very much.’
Voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had spoken of their desire to honour Close for her role in The Wife because she had never won an Oscar, while at the same time recognising Colman’s superior performance in The Favourite.
One expressed the hope of a rare tie, as when Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand shared the best actress title in 1969 for The Lion In Winter and Funny Girl respectively.
Olivia Colman held back tears as she went up to receive the award at the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles
But it was not be – the big title was Colman’s alone.
Later, talking to the Daily Mail at the Academy Awards Governors Ball, the official after party, she revealed she was ‘gagging’ for a cup of tea, saying ‘it will calm me down, relax me a little’.
Sadly, tea was not on offer and the actress had to settle for champagne.
‘I suppose this will have to do,’ she said as a waiter poured her a flute of chilled Piper-Heidsieck.
British Best Actress winner Olivia Colman and husband Ed Sinclair on the red carpet last night - as her extraordinary acting journey took her to the very top at last
Overwhelmed: Olivia could not contain her glee as she gushed to her co-stars and her fans during the speech
Sitting at her table in the ballroom of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night, she told a friend who stopped by her that she was having ‘an out-of-body experience’.
She added: ‘I didn’t expect to win and every time I open my mouth I think I’m going to cry.’
Her husband Ed Sinclair, sitting opposite, said: ‘It’s very hard to compute. The realisation of her achievement hasn’t sunk in. Of course she knows that she has won the Oscar but at the same time she can’t believe it.’
He added: ‘It’s going to come out in little drops of realisation, one little drop at a time.
Olivia Colman is embraced by her husband and Emma Stone after her Best Actress win was announced
'This is quite stressful': The first time nominee was close to tears as she delivered a charming speech
'It's genuinely quite stressful. This is hilarious, I've got an Oscar.
'I have to thank lots of people and if I forget anybody I'll find you later and give you a massive snog [this is a kiss, for our overseas readers].
'Yorgos, my best director and my best film, and Emily and Rachel the two best women in the world to fall in love with - you can imagine it wasn't a hardship.
'To be in this category, with these extraordinary women and Glenn Close - you are my idol and this is not how I wanted it to be. I love you all.
'Lindy King my agent who took me on 20 years ago - thank you so much.
'My mum and my dad and my kids who are at home watching, well if you're not then well done, but I sort of hope you are. This is not going to happen again.
'Any little girl who's practising their speech on the telly - you never know! I used to work as a cleaner I used to love that job.
'Oh - 'please wrap
