Gwyneth Paltrow Related to Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

8:58 PM PST 1/9/2011 by Kimberly Nordyke

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Sophia Bush also has family ties to a 9-year-old girl who was killed during the congresswoman’s meet-and-greet outside a supermarket.

Gwyneth Paltrow is related to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman who was shot in the head Saturday during a meet-and-greet in Arizona.

Paltrow's rep told Entertainment Tonight that the actress and Giffords -- who is in critical condition after being shot at point-blank range outside a supermarket -- are cousins.

"Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting congresswoman Giffords, my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family as well as the other victims of this horrible act of senseless violence," Paltrow said in a statement.

She's not the only actress with ties to victims of Saturday's shooting. Sophia Bush tweeted Sunday that 9-year-old Christina Green, one of six people killed during the incident, was her second cousin.

"There are no words to explain what my cousin's family is going through in Arizona," she wrote. "How can this be? Violence is never the answer."

On Sunday, Jared L. Loughner, a 22-year-old college dropout, was charged with five federal counts, including the attempted assassination of a member of Congress. A total of 20 people were wounded during the shooting.