Justin Bieber "influenced" by Craig David

Justin Bieber has said that he was thrilled to meet Craig David at the London premiere of his new movie Never Say Never.

The 'One Time' singer shared the red carpet at London's O2 Arena with stars including David, Alesha Dixon and Jessie J on Wednesday night.

Writing on his Twitter account after the event, the teenager said: "I got to meet @craigdavid who has been an influence since day 1. I'm a huge fan. So cool. Really great night and incredible crowd (sic)."

He also described David as one of his "heroes" in a Facebook posting.

Bieber also struck up a friendship with Jessie J at the screening, describing her as his "new big sis" in a Twitter message.

She later responded: "Awww lil bro! We gotta hang out next time. You gotta teach me them yoyo tricks :) "Yeeyaaa mayn".

"Finally.....I'm a BIEBER DIVA *stanky face head roll finger ssshhnap* pleasure to meet you @justinbieber (so jealous you had nandos) I loved the film. Hardwork and belief leads to a dream coming true. You're a true inspiration to many :)"

Never Say Never is playing in US cinemas now and opens in the UK on Friday.