Faryl Smith attributes success to Cowell

Faryl Smith has admitted that without the help of Simon Cowell she would never have secured a record contract.

The 13-year-old Britain's Got Talent finalist, who caught the public's attention with her rendition of 'Ave Maria', revealed that Cowell helped develop her career.

"My family is really, really friendly with Simon," she told The Sun.

"He has done so much for me, he basically discovered me. I always want to say thank you and made sure I did on my album.

"He did loads for me and he helped my mum through a lot because she was worried I was too young.

"He wasn't that sort of person who just said, 'It doesn't matter, she'll be fine'. He really, really helped and they met up face-to-face. He's not a softie but he is lovely to me."

Smith signed a £2.3 million contract with Universal Records in December and released her debut album Faryl on Monday.