Emmy Awards 2011: Melissa McCarthy is the big winner as she sees off tough competition to win Best Comedy Actress

By AMELIA PROUD

Crowning glory: Actress Melissa McCarthy looked stunned and delighted as she was named outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for Mike and Molly at last night's Emmy Awards

She faced some stiff competition from her fellow nominess which included critically acclaimed actress Tina Fey and Academy Award nominee Laura Linley.

But it turned out to be Melissa McCarthy's big night as she trumped them all to be crowned Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series at the Emmys last night.

The 41-year-old actress looked stunned as she was awarded the gong for her role in sitcom Mike and Molly.

Standing alongside her fellow nominees which also included Martha Plimpton, Amy Poehler and Edie Falso, she gasped as her name was read out.
The rest of the ladies embraced her as she struggled to take it in, before she was handed the golden award.

And the winner is: Melissa lines up with her fellow nominees (L-R Tina Fey, Martha Plimpton, Amy Poehler, Edie Falco and Laura Linney) as they wait for the result

Congratulations! The ladies gather round an emotional Melissa as she is announced as the winner

As host Rob Lowe placed a tiara on her head, the ladies gathered round her as they handed her a bunch of red roses.
Still in shock, she told the audience: 'Holy smokes. Wow, it's my first and best pageant ever. I'm from Plainfield, Illinois, and I'm standing here and it's kind of amazing.'

This is your moment: As the ladies applauded Melissa, host Rob Lowe places a tiara on her head and Sofia Vergara, in red, hands her the award

The series follows two people, Mike Biggs, played by Billy Gardell, who is a police officer who wants to lose some weight.

He meets Melissa's character Molly Flynn, a teacher who likes her larger figure and they become an unlikely couple.

It was also Kate Winslet's night at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles last night as she reigned supreme at the awards ceremony.

Winslet picked up the lead actress in a miniseries or movie Emmy, for her starring role in the HBO drama Mildred Pierce.

The 35-year-old played the titular role in the five-part series, which was set during the Great Depression.

Emotional: Kate Winslet paid homage to her mum, after winning an Emmy Award tonight in Los Angeles

Joy: Kate punched the air in delight as her name was announced

Dressed in a stunning red gown, Kate gushed after winning: 'Mildred Pierce was capable of great acts of love as a mother.

'It doesn't matter how old you are or what you do with your life, you will never stop needing your mum. And I will never stop needing mine, so thanks mum.'
Based on a 1941 novel by American writer James M. Cain, the movie centres on a young mother with a talent for baking, who is forced to hunt for work to support herself and her two young daughters, after throwing her husband out of the house.