Bardem dedicates Cannes award to teary Cruz

WENN, Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 4:16am (PDT)

Javier Bardem brought Penelope Cruz to tears during his acceptance speech at Cannes Film Festival in France on Sunday when he made his first public acknowledgement of their relationship.

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Bardem shared the Best Actor prize with Elio Germano at the prestigious European competition for his role as a terminally-ill criminal in "Biutiful."

And the Oscar-winner finally showed his affection for Cruz while collecting the award, telling the audience of his love for the Spanish beauty.

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He told the crowd, "I share this joy with my friend, my companion, my love: Penelope: I owe you a lot and I love you so much."

Bardem then blew a kiss to Cruz, who was visibly moved by the speech and was seen wiping a tear from her eye.

The pair has been dating since 2007, but have repeatedly refused to talk about their relationship, continually dismissing reports they are engaged.

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Cruz recently insisted she will never reveal all about her romances, saying, "One thing I don't do, I don't lie about my personal life. It's sacred to me. It's my life. But I don't give details about it because I am allergic to that."