She was only the fifth woman in history to be nominated, and went head-to-head with the creator of the biggest grossing film of all time, her ex-husband and Avatar creator James Cameron.

But at the 2010 Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow walked straight into the record books as the first female to win the best directing Academy Award.

Made for just under £10 million ($15 million), gritty war drama, The Hurt Locker, ended up winning Kathryn and her team six trophies to Avatar's three. Both films had been nominated for nine awards.

But there was no-one happier on the night for the Californian film maker than her former spouse, who sat behind Kathryn during the ceremony and rose to his feet to applaud when her name was read out.

Arriving on stage after being named by Barbra Streisand, the overwhelmed 58-year-old said: "There's no other way to describe it, it’s the moment of a lifetime", before dedicating the statuette to the men and women in the military "who risk their lives on a daily basis".

If that wasn't enough to celebrate, Kathryn didn't even have time to leave the stage before the Iraq-based thriller was named as winner in the best picture category.

Click here to see other big winners on the night.