Colin Firth sheds a tear over Walk of Fame star

The actor, who stars in the new blockbuster The King's Speech, dedicated the honour to his Italian wife.

"I want to thank everybody that has accompanied me on this extraordinary journey, but probably more than anybody I could ever imagine Livia who has walked every step of this with me joyfully and truthfully," he said.

Before dabbing his eyes, he added: "When I look down there at that star, it's her name I see."

Later the 50-year-old was reluctant to admit he had shed a tear.

"You can make of it what you will, it was the wind," he laughed.

But he added: "Yes inside I was a seething torrent of emotion."

His shrine is the 2,429th star, conveniently located in front of the Pig 'N Whistle pub on Hollywood Boulevard, right next to British actress Emma Thompson's.

"Actually that's almost as good as the thing itself," he said.

During his speech, he joked: "I have a feeling I'm going to be here when I'm about 93 under a pile of blankets asking for spare change."