Helena Bonham Carter has soiled the memory of renowned British voice coach Ian Adam by claiming he "molested" her while she was trying to hit the high notes in preparation for her role in musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The actress also states the late singing teacher hurled foul-mouthed abuse at her throughout her sessions with him.

But it’s not quite as bad as it sounds - Bonham Carter insists Adam’s unorthodox techniques helped her make the most of her singing voice.

She says, "(I learned) you’ve got to sing from your front bottom, as it were.

Although Ian wouldn’t call it that, he’d just shout, ‘Sing from your c**t.’ "He was also fond of emphasizing exactly where that was, so he’d scream, `You’re not singing from your c**t,’ and then he’d storm over and molest you."

But Bonham Carter, who is engaged to Sweeney Todd director Tim Burton, reveals there were some pleasant side effects to Adam’s process: "I got a flat tummy without once going to the gym."

The revered singing teacher, whose past clients have included opera legend Joan Sutherland, Elaine Paige, Phantom of The Opera star Michael Crawford and the Duchess of York, died last summer (07), shortly after completing his work for Sweeney Todd. He was 76.