Charlotte took her boyfriend Steven Johnson

I'll Be There is a musical comedy written specifically for the 17-year-old star, who shot to fame as a child prodigy classical music singer in the 1990s.

Church stars as Olivia, a Cardiff newspaper delivery girl who finds out her father is an 1980s pop star and launches a singing career against the wishes of her mother.

Church attended the film's premiere at the UCI cinema in Cardiff Bay on Monday, ahead of the film's general release later in the month.

Around 200 fans turned up to greet the star, who arrived with boyfriend Steven Johnson.

It's really cool - lots of my friends are here Charlotte Church

She told BBC Wales News Online: "Olivia, the character I play in the film, is quite similar to me, although I would like to try (acting with) a different accent.

"Making the film was quite strange because it was different from singing, although I'm used to performing."

She added that she was used to media attention focussing on her, although members of her family still got upset by coverage.

Church said: "I've learned to deal with it - I don't read it.

"But my family still gets upset."

Crowds turned up to see Charlotte arrive

The singer added she was delighted the film's premiere was in her home town of Cardiff.

"It's really cool - lots of my friends are here," she said.

The film - which was written and directed by fellow star Craig Ferguson - also features Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Anthony Head.

Ferguson decided to write a script as a vehicle for Church more than two years ago.

He plays her father Paul Kerr, who returns to south Wales to discover Olivia - the result of a fling he had with her mother, Jemma Redgrave.

Church started work on the film only weeks after finishing her GCSEs.

Her only previous acting experience was a role in the ITV series Heartbeat, and she had coaching in preparation for this part.

Church, who was born in Llandaff, Cardiff, has also fronted the current affairs quiz show Have I Got News For You, as a guest host after the departure of Angus Deayton.

Earlier this year, she also broke into the pop charts with The Opera Song (Brave New World) - a collaboration with dance music producer Jurgen Vries.

The singer has sold more than 10m albums worldwide - her first three albums all went platinum in the US.