Kutcher began his speech by joking that he is probably the first person to receive the honour who had been arrested at age 18 for “felony burglary for trying to break into his high school,” for which he was given a deferred judgment, got “pulled over by a state trooper while tripping on mushrooms,” which led to no charges, and had had his “name splashed across every gossip magazine as an adulterer like five years ago.”

“It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you learn from the mistakes that you make and how you perceive the world that's coming at you,” he said. “Because life doesn't happen to you, it happens for you. Every single time. And as long as you have love and kindness and optimism and a pursuit of something greater in your heart, you're the lucky one.

“So this award is for you. It is for my family, it's for all four of my parents, it's for my wife, who kicks my ass on character every day.”

Ashton Kutcher honours ‘ass-kicking’ Mila Kunis in emotional speech