Maria Bello is pleased she flirted with a hunky waiter at a family birthday celebration because he soon became her boyfriend.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor star was at a relative's birthday party, when she spotted a restaurant staff member who took her fancy. And instead of gossiping about the hunk to friends, the determined star marched over and asked if he was single.

She tells New York gossip column Page Six, "I walked up and said, 'Can you take this cake and put a candle in it? And by the way, do you have a girlfriend?' (And) from that night on, we've been together."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)