Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston feted at People Magazine Awards

Actresses Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston were among the celebrities feted at the first annual People Magazine Awards on Thursday night (18Dec14).

Editors of the publication honored Hudson with the Celebrity Role Model of the Year prize for her acting, parenting, philanthropy and fashion talents, while serving as a positive example to fans everywhere.

Accepting the trophy, Hudson, who recently confirmed her split from rocker fiance Matt Bellamy, was keen to give life advice to the crowd, and said, "This is a beautiful honor... Life is a journey with its ups and downs, its challenges and its triumphs. Don't ever let anyone ever push you around. Give yourself the permission to honor who you are and more importantly, to learn who you are."

Aniston was also a big winner, picking up the prize for Movie Actress of the Year for her critically acclaimed role in Cake, and she shared her gratitude for working on such a special movie.

She said, "I have really now experienced what a labor of love truly means and this movie was never short of that."

Meanwhile, Aniston's former Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow was named TV Actress of the Year, while Mad Men's Jon Hamm won the male equivalent, and made the Beverly Hills Hilton audience burst into laughter by using his acceptance speech to comment on the venue's use of couches and mood lighting, suggesting it was the "first-class lounge at LAX (Los Angeles airport)".

Other winners included Michael Keaton (Movie Actor of the Year), Kevin Hart (Comedy Star of the Year), Jennifer Lopez (Triple Threat), and Kate Upton (Sexiest Woman).

The crowd was also treated to performances from Maroon 5, 5 Seconds of Summer and Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams, while comedian Nick Cannon hosted the first-ever prizegiving.

The full list of winners is:

Movie Actor of the Year: Michael Keaton

Movie Actress of the Year: Jennifer Aniston

Comedy Star of the Year: Kevin Hart

TV Actor of the Year: Jon Hamm

TV Actress of the Year: Lisa Kudrow

TV Show Host of the Year: Jimmy Fallon

TV Couple of the Year: Mindy Kaling and Chris Messina, The Mindy Project

Next Generation Star: Chloe Grace Moretz

Breakout Star of the Year: Billy Eichner

Celebrity Role Model of the Year: Kate Hudson

Model of the Year: Karlie Kloss

Sexiest Woman: Kate Upton

Style Icon: Gwen Stefani

Triple Threat: Jennifer Lopez