Bosses at France's Cannes film festival offered Madonna a place on their panel of judges - but she snubbed their invitation because it clashes with her beloved Kabbalah meetings.

The "Like a Virgin" beauty disappointed Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux when she insisted she would have to travel back to London twice during the event to fulfil her obligations to the mystical form of Judaism, reports celebrity portal Femalefirst.

Fremaux was keen to have the star involved as she "takes the cinema world seriously" and would have added a welcome injection of glamour to the panel.

He said: "We talked about her being on the jury, but her religion meant this could not happen. It is a regret because she has valuable knowledge."