For many filmmakers, keeping to historical facts is of the utmost importance – especially when it involves the portrayal of a key moment in history on the big screen.

But, according to Jane Hawking, her own personal history hasn’t been dealt with such diligence in the 2014 film, The Theory of Everything.

“I knew if there were mistakes in the film that they were going to be immortalised, which they have been,” Hawking said during the Henley Literary Festival this week.

During the making of the movie – which tells the story of Stephen Hawking’s life – filmmaker James Marsh used her book, Travelling to Infinity, as a guide. However, historical inaccuracies were permitted in order to keep the running time to a minimum.

“I found that very irritating and I didn’t want it to happen. Don’t ever believe what you see in films,” Hawking said.

Jane Hawking discusses “mistakes” made in The Theory of Everything movie