Family pride at niece Carey Mulligan's Bafta

The family of newly-crowned Bafta winner Carey Mulligan have spoken of their delight and amazement at her win for best actress in Sunday's awards.

The An Education star scooped the prize for her role as a precocious schoolgirl in the 1960s.

Mulligan, whose mother is originally from Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, is a regular visitor to relatives there.

Her aunt, Heulwen Booth, told BBC Wales said it was "unbelievable" when the presenter announced Mulligan had won.

The 24-year-old actress beat Meryl Streep and Audrey Tautou to take the honour.

Mrs Booth said: "The family were so pleased she'd been nominated to start off with and not having dreamed she that she would ever actually win, but waiting for them to open that envelope and finding out she had actually won - it was unbelievable.

"I think it was a surprise for everybody."

I don't think even her mother and father had even dreamed of her winning last night Heulwen Booth

However she added: "She's had quite a few parts over the last five years and she's had remarkable write-ups for every part she's been in.

"But even as a family I don't think even her mother and father had even dreamed of her winning last night.

"To actually come out on top, I don't think it's sunk in with anybody so far."

The first time Mrs Booth and her husband saw Mulligan on the big screen was in the film Pride and Prejudice, where she played alongside Keira Knightley.

"We just kept looking at one another and saying, 'that's actually Carey'.

"Likewise with this latest film, An Education, and she's got such a role to play. It's just in another world somehow," she said.

"You have still got it in the back of your mind that she is Carey. We're so proud of her and that she's done so well in such a short period of time."

Mulligan now has to wait two weeks to find out if she can repeat her success at the Oscar award ceremony in Los Angeles, where she will be pitted against Meryl Streep and Gabourey Sidibe again, fellow Brit Dame Helen Mirren, and Sandra Bullock.

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