Eva spoke at the festival on Tuesday about how grateful she is to Desperate Housewives for transforming her career.

She said: ‘Desperate Housewives changed everything in my life, it really allowed me to have a reach all over the world so I am very happy to be here at the Taormina Film Festival being honoured with my humanitarian award.

‘If I didn’t have Desperate Housewives, I wouldn’t have the reach I have all over the world.’

Red hot: Eva looked stunning in her glamorous floor length gown

Side by side: Both Griffith and Longoria are being honored at the festival; they arrived the day before

The Taormina Film Festival honours women in film, with Melanie Griffth and Pamela Anderson being given awards as well as Eva.

The pretty brunette said of the questions she was asked about working with a predominantly female cast on Desperate Housewives.

She explained: ‘I think its interesting that this festival is about celebrating women’s impact, on a show with four women, but people are fast to criticise if there is drama behind the scenes.

Well deserved: Eva collected the humanitarian award for the work she does with her charity The Eva Longoria Foundation

Award winning: Eva looked happy to receive an award from her humanitarian work

Sweetheart: The stars form fitting neckline flattered her petite frame perfectly

She knows what she’s doing: The 56-year-old star made no effort to conceal the altered ink as she talked with friend Eva Longoria on a balcony

Smiling through the pain: The Working Girl actress showed Longoria her cell phone at the festival

She added: ‘But they never do that with men, and they never do that with male shows so I find that very sexist.’

Eva spoke on the fourth day of the 60th edition of the Film Festival, where she collected her Humanitarian Award, and also spoke about her Eva Longoria Foundation.

Smoking hot: Eva posed alongside Salvatore Iuzzolini from Maserati

The Eva Longoria Foundation helps Latinos reach their potential through education and entrepreneurship.

The Foundation supports programs which help Latinas excel in school and attend college as well as career training, mentorship, funding and opportunities.

A profile in courage: The daughter of Tippi Hedren has not yet broken down in public over the end of her 18 year marriage to the Spanish star

Photo time: The friends took pictures of each other as Griffith’s rep sat with hairdresser Jen Paves

All eyes on Eva: While the Nobody’s Fool actress took a snap of Longoria, Longoria took a photo of herself with the audience

Getting carried away: The Shining Through actress smiled as her pal goofed around with her camera

Let’s selfie ourselves: The brunette held out her iPhone as the blonde smiled in a BFF worthy shot

She got hers: Melanie looked on as Eva held her award which she got for her humanitarian efforts