Shakira is Cannes' golden girl after double award joy

Shakira was the toast of Cannes on Saturday (28Jan12) as she scooped a top prize at the NRJ Music Awards - just hours after accepting a French knighthood.

The Colombian superstar beamed with pride as she was made a Knight of the Order of the Arts and Letters, in recognition of her contributions to music, at an afternoon ceremony at Cannes' Majestic Hotel.

She told the crowd, which included her proud parents Nidia and William, "I'm happy. I always felt connected with France. Thanks for all the love you send me."

Shakira's winning streak continued later that evening at the glitzy NRJ Music Awards, where she received the Award Of Honor for her pop career.

Other winners at the event included British soul star Adele, who claimed the International Revelation of the Year trophy and International Song of the Year for Someone Like You.

Rihanna was voted Best International Female, British pop star Mika took home Best International Male and LMFAO were crowned Best International Group, while the clip for their Party Rock Anthem hit was named Music Video Of The Year.

Canadian teen star Justin Bieber sparked cheers from the audience as he picked up his Award Of Honor and announced plans to release a track in French.

He said, "I wanna do another French song. I did one French song but I wanna do some more French song (sic) and hopefully perfect it. My grandma's first language is French."