Angeline Ball: 'Fans still recite Commitments lines to me!'

The UK-based Irish actress emerged on to the scene alongside Maria Doyle Kennedy, Glen Hansard and Bronagh Gallagher in the 1991 movie, playing sassy singer Imelda Quirke.

Blonde Angeline, who lives in London with her husband Patrice Gueroult and their children Katie (11) and Maxim (5), said it is both flattering and frustrating that fans recite her lines from The Commitments, 24 years after the film came out.

"I have to look at it positively and think, well at least it means I haven't turned into some sort of ogre and people don't recognise me any more," she said.

"But it is a hard cap to wear - it's very hard to see yourself 24 years ago in your prime. If I had a pound for every time the arse line in the movie was repeated back to me, I wouldn't have had to work for the rest of my life."

Although The Commitments remains a much-loved film, the cast do not receive any residual payments for subsequent screenings.

"There's not a sausage. Tom Cruise must be loaded on residuals," Angeline said on The Ray D'Arcy Show on Today FM.

"I think what happened is, it was a great opportunity for us all but there was no room for negotiation in our contracts.

"We just got paid for the job and that's that.

"There was a little bit of residuals from the album, but that's all."

Angeline has since appeared in EastEnders, My Girl 2 and, more recently, Shameless.

She's now back on TV with her six-part TV3 series Home Cooks' Academy.

It sees her try to re-educate people in the kitchen.

"I did a bit of presenting when I did a music show, but I went into this blind really because I love food and I love a challenge," she said.

"I thought it would be a nice way of getting people interested in food again while going back to basics."