Whitney Houston was a ''nurturing'' presence on the 'Sparkle' set.

The late singer stars in and executive produced the new movie and co-star Jordin Sparks loved working alongside her idol because she was so caring.

Jordin said: ''I remember filming my last scene, wearing the red dress, and Whitney sat watching me because she wanted to see everything.

''She walked up on the stage, took my face in her hands and said, 'You were incredible. You are everything that we wanted.' To have your idol tell you that. I just lost it.

''She rubbed my back and that was the type of woman she was. She was so nurturing and just wanted to see everybody else succeed. She wanted all of us to do well.''

Jordin added how Whitney - who was found dead in the bath of her hotel room in February - made everyone on the set feel ''comfortable'' because she was so easy to be around.

She added to Grazia magazine: ''She had this wisdom, this knowing. When we did the first read through, she walked in and we all sat up straighter, so excited, but she just made it so comfortable.

''She cracked a joke about not being able to see the lines without her glasses, so kept messing them up. It set the tone. It was fun.''