From All Saint to ball saint

Shaznay Lewis didn't need an action double when she played the captain of a women's football team for the forthcoming film Bend It Like Beckham.

The former All Saints singer once played for Arsenal Ladies before becoming a pop star, and her sporting life has meant she is the most convincing actress in the movie, due to be released on 12 April.

This will the big-screen debut for Lewis, 26, the only member of now-disbanded group All Saints who did not appear in the movie Honest, an embarrassing box office flop.

The comedy-drama directed by Gurinder Chadha tells the story of a young Asian girl, played by Parminder Nagra, who can bend free kicks as well as David Beckham and has set her heart on a career as a professional, against her parents' wishes.

It also stars 17-year-old Keira Knightley, who has played football since she was 11, and Juliet Stevenson. David Beckham has given his blessing for archive footage of his career to be featured in the film.