Aussie actress Rose Byrne breaks down as she wins her first ever Golden Globe - and reveals the bizarre reason her husband Bobby Cannavale didn't attend the awards

Rose Byrne has won her first Golden Globe. 

The Aussie actress broke down in tears as she took home Best Actress in a Motion Picture for her leading role in If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You.

The Bridesmaids star, 46, was visibly shocked by the win and admitted she hadn't prepared a speech as she took to the stage to accept the award at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

She said her brother George was her date on the night and revealed the bizarre reason her husband, US actor Bobby Cannavale, could not attend the awards show. 

'Thanks to my husband. He isn't here because we're getting a bearded dragon, and he went to a reptile expo in New Jersey,' she said. 

'Thank you so much. This is like a tiny film, so this is a good thing to be up here. And to brother for being my date. And, you know, my mum and dad, who bought Paramount Plus, so they could watch the Golden Globes in Sydney.'

Rose beat out some strong competition for the award, including Cynthia Erivo for Wicked For Good and Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue. 

She stunned on the night, wearing a chic plunging neon green Chanel gown, paired with statement jewellery from the same label. 

Rose is tipped to earn her first Oscar nomination for her lead role in the intense new psychological drama, in which she portrays a mother struggling to hold her life together. 

If she does win the Oscar, Rose will become one of only three Australian actresses to ever take home the Best Actress prize.

Last week, the Two Hands star found herself in a toe-curling awkward position at the Film Critics Circle Awards in New York on Tuesday when the presenter, actor Ethan Hawke, called her out on stage. 

Hawke was handing her the Best Actress award for the film, when he decided to dredge up a decades-old online review Rose had written about his first novel, The Hottest State.

Posted in 2010 under the username 'Rose' on Goodreads, the review gave the book two stars. 

The actress wrote: 'Released 13 years ago so I am a bit behind but found it lazing around on set and was a lovely easy read for a couple of days.'

'It's kind of like a Ryan Adams song but not as good,' she brutally added. 

At the time of her review, Rose would have been filming her TV drama Damages.

According to celebrity blog Showbiz411, 'Hawke was howling as he recalled finding the review on the Goodreads website.'

Clips of the ceremony show Rose visibly embarrassed as she stepped onto the stage to accept her award. 

'Thank you, Ethan … I never thought you would read that review. Ever! Goodreads is so daggy, like, no-one reads it,' she said, quickly turning the moment into a compliment: 'You are the most magical person and artist … I had a poster of [Hawke's 1989 film] Dead Poet's Society on my wall.'

Some fans noted the situation's uncanny resemblance to the 2018 rom-com Juliet, Naked, in which Byrne's character writes an anonymous negative review of Hawke's rock star character's album - only for him to track her down in person to thank her for her honesty.