BRITAIN’S first film to be fully shot in 3D will be released next week, starring Merseyside dancer Rachel McDowall.

Yet the 25-year-old, who made her debut in the 2005 movie Mamma Mia!, had not worn ballet shoes for six years before clinching the role.

“I actually panicked because I hadn’t done ballet for six years, since I left college,” she says.

“It was really hard getting back into it.

“Sianad (Gregory) and Jennifer (Leung), who play my two sidekicks, have tiny little figures and, you know, I’ve got the figure to go with my six-foot frame. They actually look like ballet dancers.

“I was mortified when I walked into rehearsals. I thought, what have I got myself into? And I have to wear tights and leotards!”

But donning the tights turned out to be the least of her concerns.

“I did find it tough in rehearsals, I must admit,” she says.

“We were made to do ballet barre every morning from 9am and that’s even harder than dancing because it’s so precise.

“The day after we started rehearsing, I felt muscles that I have never felt before. I just wanted to cry sometimes.”

McDowell, who was born in Whiston, plays Isabella, the arch rival of lead female Carly (Nichola Burley – Donkey Punch, Drop Dead Gorgeous) whose dance crew has just made it through to the finals of the UK Street Dance Championships.

When Carly’s boyfriend Jay walks out and they lose their rehearsal space, she receives an offer from ballet schoolmistress Helena (Charlotte Rampling) – they can practice in the Ballet Academy’s luxurious studio in return for collaborating with her ballet dancers.

McDowell’s character is taken down a peg or two when she receives some news that leaves her dreams of auditioning for The Royal Ballet in tatters.