ANNA FRIEL TURNED DOWN SIMON COWELL

Anna Friel snubbed a record deal offer from Simon Cowell - so she could concentrate on acting.

The Brit found fame in the 1990s during a stint in British soap opera Brookside and her role on the show caught Cowell's attention.The music mogul offered to turn her into a recording artist, but Friel turned him down - twice.She recalls, Simon offered me a record deal twice, I was about 19. I wouldn't be here now if I'd said yes.And the 33 year old has no plans to revisit her potential pop past - she's keen to stay onscreen for as long as she can: I want longevity. I still want to be working when I'm 70. So I'm eager to vary things. You get more interesting as you get older.