GRIEVING Gwyneth Paltrow has found new love, just weeks after losing her beloved father to throat cancer.

And the new man in her life must really be something extra-special.

In a stunning U-turn - after telling journalists that she hates British men - the Shakespeare in Love star has gone gaga for Chris Martin, a preppie Brit rock star with the red-hot band Coldplay.

"Chris has given Gwyneth's life new meaning," a longtime friend of the musician tells Star.

"He worships the ground she walks on."

CHRIS MARTIN

In August, the Oscar-winning beauty told journalists that British men "beat around the bush," and know "little to nothing about courtship."

Then along came Chris, who instantly changed her mind.

Gwyneth, 30, was just coming off a string of failed romances.

Following high-profile relationships with Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck, in late 2001 she split with Legally Blonde actor Luke Wilson and then went on to have brief flings with British heartthrob James Purefoy and Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.

Meanwhile, Chris was seeing Australian songstress Natalie Imbruglia.

But the moment the pretty actress and the talented rocker laid eyes on each other, that was it, according to eyewitnesses.

"Chris asked her out to dinner and it started from there," says his friend.

The couple kept the romance under wraps for a while, but have recently begun venturing out together in public.

"When Chris and the band performed in New York, Gwyneth was in the audience. Chris dedicated a song to her - and she blushed like a schoolgirl," says the friend.

Gwyneth then flew to Dublin, Ireland, for a Coldplay performance. The night after the show, the pair cuddled together in a back booth at a popular pub, according to sources.

Things got so serious that Chris introduced Gwyneth to his parents.

Part of the attraction for Gwyneth is that Chris is actually an upper-crust, cultured kind of guy. He has a degree in ancient history and also studied Greek and Latin.

"Gwyneth loves literature and adores that about him," says a source.

Plus, he's squeaky clean. He doesn't drink or take drugs, and like Gwyneth, is a strict vegetarian."

The actress is convinced her late father would have loved and approved of Chris. And she's invited her new beau to spend Thanksgiving with her mom and brother in New York.

Director Bruce Paltrow died Oct. 3 after battling throat cancer. But the family tradition of celebrating the holiday with Steven Spielberg, his wife Kate Capshaw and their children, will continue.

The Spielbergs have told Gwyneth they'll be delighted to share the table with Martin, according to the insider.

Gwyneth needs all the support she can get right now.

Sources say she was devastated at the loss of her father. But Chris, five years her junior, is helping her come to terms with it.

Says a source close to the couple: "In Chris, she's found a true soul mate and new best friend."