Gemma Arterton had a foul mouth

Gemma Arterton used to swear at people in a London accent.

Although the stunning Bond girl may be known for her posh accent on screen, the 'Quantum of Solace' star grew up with a less glamorous 'Cockney' accent - which is associated with the east end of London and is comprised of many rhyming slang words such as ''apples and pears'', meaning stairs.

But when Gemma - who was raised with her sister Hannah on an estate in Kent, south east England, by her mother Sally-Anne - broke into acting she had to alter her natural voice.

She told the Metro newspaper: ''I grew up in Kent with an Estuary accent so strong it was almost Cockney. I was all like, 'Wot the f**k you lookin' at?' Then I went to drama school where they told me that it wouldn't do me any favours and they teach you RP [received pronunciation] instead.''

While her change in tone may have served the 27-year-old actress well - helping her land lead roles in movies such as 'Clash of the Titans' and 'Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters' - she revealed her working class family was less pleased with her new opulent accent.

She said: ''I remember going to my dad's house for Sunday roast and I said something like, 'May you pass the ketchup?', and he went, 'F**k off. I'm not passing you nuffing when you speak like that. What are you, Mary Poppins or somefing?' ''