Jennifer Garner left the cast and crew of new film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past holding their noses thanks to a run-in with a skunk before work.

One of the actress' dogs was sprayed by the animal the night before her first day on set - and she couldn't get the stench out of her hair and clothes.

And, no matter how hard she scrubbed in the shower, the skunk stink wouldn't go away.

Garner thought she'd avoided on-set humiliation - until co-star Matthew McConaughey's sharp senses picked up her odd scent.

She says, "This was unlike any skunky smell I had ever smelled. The next day it was my first day at work and I was with Matthew and he's so dreamy and so I showered and showered and washed and washed.

"I was sitting next to him and they always make you kiss on the first day. And we're about to do this scene and he's like, 'Does anybody smell something? I smell skunk.' The skunk stayed with us for months."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)