Fellowships for Helena and Tim

Helena Bonham Carter has confessed she was relieved to be awarded a fellowship by the British Film Institute (BFI) at the same time as her partner Tim Burton as it eliminated any jealousy between them.

The British actress and her director partner both received the honour at the London Film Festival Awards, in a lavish ceremony at Banqueting House on London's Whitehall attended by stars including Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman. The fellowship is the highest honour given by the BFI.

Helena said: "It's good because there's no jealousy at home. It's very handy and very thoughtful for them to give us both one at the same time."

The couple have worked together on many films over the years including Alice In Wonderland and Sweeney Todd.

During her acceptance speech, Helena thanked her parents who were both in the audience. She said: "I never thought I was particularly good at this. I've certainly had my bad reviews over the years, but I kept going. My dad's motto is KBO which stands for 'Keep b*******g on', so I will Dad."

She was presented with the accolade by theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn. Sir Christopher Lee presented Tim with his fellowship. The 90-year-old actor has worked with Tim on several of his films including Sleepy Hollow, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Alice In Wonderland.

Sir Christopher said: "Burton is one of the greatest directors of any time. One can only imagine what cinema would look like if Tim had not put his indelible thumb print on it. I've worked with Tim several times and I think he's a great director and a close friend. I hope this won't be taken as too much of a hint to appear in his next film."

Burton said he was especially proud to receive the award from Sir Christopher because he "was one of the reasons I wanted to be in movies".

The American director, who lives in London with Helena and their two children, said: "I can't quite believe this because I'm not British. I grew up on British films, Hammer films, James Bond, The Wicker Man."

The Best Film award went to Jacques Audiard's moving drama Rust And Bone starring Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard.