Cruz: My Dad's Going To Be Fine

Actress Penelope Cruz is "a lot calmer" now she's learnt her father is recovering from a mystery illness - a scare which led her to miss out on the GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS so she could rush to his bedside.

The stunning screen star was due to attend the glitzy Los Angeles ceremony on Sunday (25JAN04) with beau Tom Cruise, but axed her appearance after learning dad EDUARDO had been whisked to a Madrid, Spain, hospital.

Cruz - who is staying in Spain with her family until her father returns home - insists he's making good progress, but she refuses to divulge information about his illness.

She says, "I'm not going to go into details out of respect for my dad and the rest of our family. But he is doing well and doctors are expecting to give him the all-clear shortly.

"I wanted to see him as I'm about to start filming and I'll be away from Madrid for the next month and a half. I'm feeling a lot calmer now. All of this has obviously been quite a shock."