Zellweger's flush of success

Renee Zellweger is all smiles after her Globe success

Actress Renee Zellweger almost missed her moment of glory at the Golden Globes on Sunday night when she took a quick trip to the toilet.

British actor Hugh Grant was forced to stall for the star when he read out her name as winner of the best actress in a comedy role for Nurse Betty.

I had lipstick on my teeth

Renee Zellweger

As the audience waited for Zellweger to appear he joked she was under the table.

He continued stalling until she entered the ballroom in Los Angeles and made the long walk to the stage.

Sympathetic pat

"I had lipstick on my teeth," she explained to the assembled crowd of celebrities.

Zellweger was given a sympathetic pat on the back by TV actress Christine Lahti as she walked past.

Lahti was in the toilet in 1998 when she was announced as a winner for Chicago Hope.

"A moment I'll never forget. A moment I almost didn't have," Zellweger said, clutching her award on stage.

The Golden Globes are traditionally a more relaxed affair than the Academy Awards - guests enjoy a dinner before the awards ceremony starts, in contrast to the Oscars where celebrities have to sit in their chairs for up to 4 hours.