Kirsten stands by her man

Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst showed the ultimate loyalty when she missed the London premiere of her own film to support her actor boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal.

Dunst, 22, was at Gyllenhaal's side for the premiere of blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow in the West End. Nearby at the Prince Charles cinema her co-stars in The Cat's Meow, Eddie Izzard, who plays Charlie Chaplin, and Joanna Lumley, were partying.

Gyllenhaal, who plays Dennis Quaid's son in the £72million film, was grateful. "I'm just so pleased she's over here with me - it's incredible," he said. "She's my girlfriend and I love being with her." He said that the couple prefer to shun the high life while staying in London.

"Kirsten and I are always getting photographed in coffee bars," he said. "People will think we've got a caffeine addiction but we just like to hang out and people-watch."

He added: "I love it in the UK because I've always had a lot of support here as an actor - the idea that you can grow and get better has been recognised here more than anywhere else."

The 23-year-old indie film heartthrob rebutted claims that he had sold out by starring in the doomladen-film about the threat of global warming. "I may have lost my street cred but I'm going to get it back," he said. "I think the subject matter is very important. Global warming is not a fiction."

More than 2,500 fans turned up at the Vue cinema in Leicester Square for the premiere of the film, the latest from Independence Day director Roland Emmerich.

Emmy Rossum, 17, the film's female star, and Dawson's Creek actress Katie Holmes, in London filming Batman Begins, were among guests showered with fake snowflakes.