Oscar winners secretly wed

Actors Penlope Cruz and Javier Bardem married at a friend's...

08:31 14 July 2010

Oscar winning actors Penlope Cruz and Javier Bardem have married in a secret ceremony in the beginning of July.

The Spanish couple tied the knot in front of a small group of family members at a friend's house in the Bahamas, a representative confirmed.

For the nuptials the 36-year-old actress wore a dress by John Galliano.

The couple began dating in 2007 as they filmed Woody Allen's 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' - the film that won Cruz her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

There had been increasing speculation that they would get married but both parties initially denied reports and kept their love life private.

However, Bardem, 41, broke the silence regarding their relationship when he collected his Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

After accepting the trophy, he told the audience: "I share this joy with my friend, my companion, my love: Penelope: I owe you a lot and I love you so much."

Cruz has previously said that she was uncertain about marriage, but was adamant that she wanted children.

She told the UK's Psychologies magazine last year: "I want to have babies one day but not right now. When I do it I want to do it really well. I want it to be my best project in life.

"I dont know if I believe in marriage. I believe in family, love and children."

Cruz and Bardem have known each other for nearly 20 years. They worked together on the Spanish film 'Jamon Jamon', when the actress was just a teenager in 1992.

Bardem picked up his Oscar for the Coen Brothers' dark thriller 'No Country For Old Men'. He recently finished filming 'Eat, Love, Pray' with Julia Roberts, while Cruz is working on 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'.