Stansfield has never acted before but her part is not a million miles from home as she plays a big band star.

Keith Phillips: "Stansfield had reservations about doing the film"

As she arrived at the London screening with her musician husband Ian Devaney, Stansfield disclosed that preparations for her role had caused a touch of domestic discord.

This was because she needed to adapt her strong Rochdale accent to a Merseyside accent, as her character is a Liverpudlian - and she was helped by the television soap opera Brookside.

Lisa Stansfield had to adopt a Liverpudlian accent

She said: "He got very, very annoyed with me at times."

Devaney responded: "I had to be - she was watching Brookside all the time."

Devaney has co-written many of his wife's songs, including the hit All Around the World which went to the top of the charts.

Also attending the premiere at the Odeon in Leicester Square were members of the chart band Steps, Queen drummer Roger Taylor and former Spandau Ballet musician-turned-actor Gary Kemp.

'Delighted to keep clothes on'

Other stars from the film who went along included Alexei Sayle and Hugo Speer.

Swing provided Speer with his first major role since starring in The Full Monty, Britain's most successful film of all time.

"I am delighted to have kept my clothes on for this one," he said.

Swing's director Nick Mead said Ms Stansfield was his first and only choice for the part of a bank worker who breaks out of her humdrum career by forming a swing band.

Hugo Speer in The Full Monty

"I knew her look more than I knew her work. I went to Wembley to see her and she was on those big screens.

"I spent the whole night looking at those screens and she was so in control of every movement", he said. "She's totally committed, totally professional and a real laugh."

Stansfield admitted she had not wanted to do a music movie, but was convinced by the strong script.

"I had about six hours of drama lessons because basically I was just doing the same as I do in real life," she said.

Former Liver Birds star Nerys Hughes, broadcaster Chris Evans, Men Behaving Badly actor Neil Morrissey and veteran British film director Alan Parker also attended the premiere.

The film will open in UK cinemas on Friday.