As you already know, he's hunky dory. She's totally confident. It's
other people who are the problem.

Gwyneth: women are shameless over Brad

An official request: the next time you bump into them, please don't
go: `Oh my God, it's Brad'



Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't hold back. `Women have no shame,' she says.
`Grown women. Famous women. Women with boyfriends. Women with
husbands... they're all just shameless. You won't believe what I have
to put up with.'

The 24-year-old actress, talking about one side of her real-life role
as Brad Pitt's fiancee, is sitting in a suite at the Four Seasons
Hotel in Beverly Hills.

She runs a hand through her blond hair - recently cut short - and
stretches her legs to reveal purple toenails. On her left hand is a
gold and diamond band bought by Brad.

`Women come right up to him and press their bodies against him from
behind and I'm right there.' She's not angry or bitter - she just
can't believe it.

And, naively perhaps, since her parents are in the business, she's
still amazed at their lack of privacy, despite two years-plus with
Pitt.

`The whole thing's silly,' she says. `We can't go shopping, we can't
go to any tourist site. We go to restaurants or walk around New
York... until someone goes: Oh my God, it's Brad.''

`Sometimes we'll go to a bar with friends and within minutes the
owner is on the phone giving reports to the Press.'

She begins to smile. Maybe there's a funny side to it. `Not long
ago we were sitting by the pool at the end of a long, horrible day
and decided to go into the Jacuzzi.

It was pitch black outside but then, suddenly, we realised: we'd
better put swimming costumes on... you never know if there's someone
lurking in the bushes with an infra-red camera.

`Isn't that sad? Maybe someone's going though our rubbish bins, as
well. They won't find anything though,' she laughs. `When Brad
finished filming Twelve monkeys, Bruce Willis gave him a paper
shredder.'

If you think she's fussing about nothing, you have to remember three
things. One: Brad is one of the most fancied men in the world.

Two: last year some pictures of the couple on holiday were published
and Paltrow isn't keen on seeing any more public snaps of herself
naked.

Three: this is LA... and there are some spooky people about. So you
can see why this madness is getting to her.

At least she's confident that it's not going to ruin her
relationship with 32-year-old Pitt.

`We don't let it. We're trying to cope - but it's annoying,' she
sighs.

They certainly make the most of their time together: they have
friends over for dinner and play Pictionary.

All very normal stuff, she says. They even have little disagreements
about what to watch on TV - he likes boxing and hates it if she
insists on watching a chat show.

But Gwyneth quite likes gossip and certainly isn't afraid of speaking
her mind. On Mariah Carey, for instance: `She has an amazing voice,
but those songs!'

On Madonna: `If you don't like her, then I've got nothing to say.'

On Tom Cruise: `Anyone who says his marriage to Nicole is a sham and
that Tom is gay has clearly never been in a room with them. Tom is
one of the least gay men I've ever met, OK?

`I don't know how he stays so cool with that kind of allegation. I'd
flip out. Brad would, too.'

The longest she and Pitt have been apart is 28 days. It's why
Paltrow turned down the chance to start in the new Avengers film.

`It would have meant a four-month separation. Anyway,' she shrugs,
`Uma Thurman [who accepted the part] will be so much better.'

You can catch her soon in Hard Eight, playing a waitress and part-
time prostitute, then in a modern version of Great Expectations,
which is why she had her hair cut.

After that the couple are due to make Duet, about two karaoke
singers.

It sounds more fun than their first movie, Seven, which is where
they first met properly. Then they were just playing husband and
wife. This time it might be for real.