Brooke Shields expected Michael Jackson to jump out of his coffin

Brooke Shields expected Michael Jackson to jump out of his coffin at his memorial service.

The actress fought hard to contain her grief when she gave an emotional speech at the public event held at the Los Angeles Staples Center to commemorate the late 'Thriller' singer's life following his death from acute Propofol intoxication last June.

She said: "Did you see me shaking? Well, they didn't tell us that the coffin was going to be there.

"I thought - because there was a fantasy moment in my head - that he was going to jump out and start the concert."

Brooke, 44 – who befriended Michael when she was 13 – also revealed she hadn't been in touch with the 'King of Pop' for a long time before his death, but often wanted to call him and offer her help.

She added: "I had not only not spoken to him, I hadn't seen him in years."

When asked if she had wanted to call him to offer her help, she told US TV show 'Access Hollywood': "I did that, you know, 20 years ago. I mean… the rhetoric didn't change, you know, I did that way back when, but anyway, I did my best."

The 'Lipstick Jungle' star was asked by Michael's mother Katherine to give a speech at the service, but she ignored the words she was asked to deliver in favour of giving a more personal account of their friendship during her seven-minute address.

She explained: "They had written me out something. But I wrote my own thing and just had to do my own thing. I felt honoured to be a part of it."