Gwyneth Paltrow Hearts Obama: 'You're So Handsome That I Can't Speak'
(Getty Images|AP Photo)
It was the kind of fawning praise President Obama hasn't gotten much of this campaign season - and might have left first lady Michelle Obama a bit jealous.
"You're so handsome that I can't speak properly," actress Gwyneth Paltrow told Obama before a crowd of several dozen deep-pocket Democratic donors at a glitzy fundraiser inside her Brentwood, Calif., estate.
"I'm one of your biggest fans, if not the biggest," she said. "The life that you brought to this country and the passion will historically be the most looked at and scrutinized presidencies of all time."
Celebrity Women Urge Women to Vote for Obama
President Obama: Women Deserve Equal Pay
Celebrity Endorsers: Stars Align Behind Presidential Hopefuls
The 42-year-old star lavished Obama with compliments at a time when a majority of Americans - 52 percent - see his presidency as a failure, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. His rating for strong leadership also dropped to a new low in the poll last month.
Paltrow praised Obama's advocacy for equal pay for women, which she called "very important to me as a working mother." She also called him an "incredible role model for this generation."
The fundraiser, which benefited the Democratic National Committee, included 200 guests at a $1000-per-person reception and 50 attendees at a $15,000-per-person dinner, party officials said.
The event was closed to coverage by press cameras. Pool reporters who were allowed to hear Obama's remarks provided the quotes for this report.
Spotted in the crowd were Paltrow's kids Apple and Moses, as well as actress Julia Roberts, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and actor Bradley Whitford.
"I'm taking her to the next event," Obama joked about the handsome remark as he took the microphone.