Sharon Horgan hopes Military Wives spreads the stories of families during war

Sharon Horgan has said she hopes the film Military Wives will bring the stories of the difficulties faced by families of service personnel to a wider audience.

She said that starring in the film, which tells the story of a group of women who start a choir while their partners are serving in Afghanistan, taught her a lot about the lives of the relatives of those who go to war.

Horgan told the PA news agency at the film’s premiere in central London: “It gave me a massive understanding of a world I had no clue about before.

“I hope the film will do the same thing with a wider audience because their stories need to be told.”

The Catastrophe star added that the film shows that people are “stronger and better together”, and focuses on “that sense of community that we all need, especially at the moment”.

Her co-star Dame Kristin Scott Thomas said that, to her, the film felt familiar because of her family’s connections to the military.

She said: “My father was in the navy and for a while we lived on a military base rather like the one we shot in.”

The Four Weddings And A Funeral star added that the film started “lots of memories churning around”.

Peter Cattaneo, who directed the film, said it was about the power of music and showing that “singing together is one of the best things you can do for the soul”.

He added: “I think it opens a bit of a window on a little corner of society we don’t really know that much about.”

TV presenter and choir master Gareth Malone, who has worked with the real chart-topping Military Wives Choirs, said the silver screen adaptation of their story is “really moving”.

“The women are amazing and they’ve done a great job,” he added.

Malone said he thought that the women in the choirs will “love” the film, adding: “It’s not exactly their story but it’s the spirit of their story.

“I think it’s a conglomeration of what all these women go through and I think it works really well.”

The Combined MIlitary Wives Choir performed at the premiere, with their performance streamed live to around 200 cinemas in the UK.