Madonna reveals the 'sign' that kept her filming

Madonna almost abandoned plans for her film about King Edward VIII's affair with Wallis Simpson, but changed her mind after being given "a sign" on a removal van.

Interviewed by Graham Norton for his BBC1 show tomorrow, she said she was on the verge of giving up on W.E. because of frustrations with book rights. "I thought 'what am I doing here, writing a story about somebody," she said. "Are the Royal Family going to hate my guts for telling this story?'"

She said she changed her mind after seeing the lorry. "The doorbell rang and I answered in my pyjamas, as I do. There was nobody there but... a removal van and it said Montague Removal. That was her [Wallis Simpson's] maiden name, and I thought 'right, that's a sign'."

Click here or on "View Gallery" to see pictures of the W.E premiere

The singer said she had picked up film-making "tips" from her ex-husbands – director Guy Ritchie and actor/director Sean Penn. Her directorial debut, Filth And Wisdom, was panned by critics in 2008.