Actress Eva Mendes fought back tears as she paid tribute to her cancer-stricken brother during a charity event in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (28Jan15).

The Crash star was one of the many celebrities on hand for the Hollywood Stands Up to Cancer event, which raises money for cancer research, and she took the stage to remind the audience why funding for the charity is so crucial, growing emotional as she spoke about her own personal experience with the life-threatening disease.

Fighting back tears, she said, "Each one of us in this room that is here tonight, we're here because someone in our family or someone close to us has been affected by this insidious disease. Tonight I'm here with my family and my brother Carlos, who I love so much.

"He had treatment today, and we weren't sure if he was going to be feeling up to it. So, I'm so happy you made it, and I love you. I love you!"

Mendes, who gave birth to her first child with Ryan Gosling last September (14), tripped on her words during the speech due to a teleprompter glitch, prompting the actress to joke, "I just had a baby... I haven't slept!".

In addition to Mendes, stars like Matthew MCConaughey and Robert Downey Jr. attended the fundraiser, while John Legend and Common performed. The event raised $16 million (£10 million) for Stand Up To Cancer.