THE King’s Speech picked up four Oscars at last night’s ceremony with Colin Firth picking up the award for Best Actor.

The night belonged to the story of King George VI’s battle with his stutter which also won Best Picture, Best Director for Tom Hooper and Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler.

Firth told the audience at the 83rd Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles he felt his career had “just peaked” and that he wanted to leave the stage before he embarrassed himself by dancing with joy.

He said: “I have a feeling my career has just peaked. My deepest thanks to the academy.

“I’m afraid I have to warn you that I’m experiencing stirrings somewhere in the upper abdominals which are threatening to form themselves into dance moves which joyous as they may be for me, it would be extremely problematic if they make it to my legs before I get off stage.”

Firth thanked his British fans, paying tribute to “all the people who have been rooting for me back home” and thanked his wife whom he said had put up with his “fleeting delusions of royalty”.

Last year’s Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges presented the award for Best Actress to Natalie Portman for her role in the dark thriller Black Swan.

The tearful star paid tribute to the other actresses that were up for the award, saying she wished “the prize tonight was to get to work with my fellow nominees”.

Veteran actor Kirk Douglas presented The Fighter’s Melissa Leo with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Welsh-born Christian Bale picked up Best Supporting Actor for the same film.