Perfumes sales helped Jennifer Lopez finance films

Jennifer Lopez is thrilled with the success of her fragrance line because it allows her to raise money to make her own films.

The If You Had My Love singer launched her range of perfumes four years ago and has enjoyed global sales of more than GBP256 million.

She explains, "I never thought my perfumes would do so well. The whole perfume thing has been great because it's creative, but at the same time you can make a little bit of money doing it.

"I bankrolled Bordertown, El Cantante and the Spanish album. Artists don't make a ton of money from CD sales. The record company makes most of the money.

"Interestingly, at the end of the day, El Cantante, Bordertown and the Spanish album could turn out to make no money, and it was out of my own pocket."

Lopez even says should her other projects fail, her fragrance line will have always been a stunning success.

She adds, "Yes, I'll always have the perfume. The fact that it allows me to make the creative choices I have, now, that's really the sweet smell of success."