BGT boss Simon Cowell has been the daddy of talent shows since the ITV series launch since 2007. But did you realise his actual son, Eric Cowell, is now 11 years old?
The proud father previously admitted when Eric was very young he was worried his son ‘didn’t like him’.
But Simon, now 65, explained at the time how he and Eric bonded one day when it “clicked” between them.
Since then, Eric – who Simon shares with partner Lauren Silverman – has popped up in the public eye occasionally, including an appearance on BGT last year when he smacked the Golden Buzzer to send Haribow through to the final.
Here’s a closer look at the relationship between Simon and Eric…
Simon Cowell’s son Eric has a half-brother
Eric may be Simon’s son and heir, but Lauren, 47, is also mum to teenage son Adam from her previous marriage.
The blended family have been snapped together on plenty of occasions, going back several years. One notable moment when they all got together came in 2018 when Simon was awarded a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I would love another kid. I really like being a dad.
Adam and Eric were also pictured together in Easter 2023 when Simon and his family spent time with the showbiz mogul’s ex Terri Seymour and her loved ones.
Could another sibling for Eric and Adam ever make an appearance? A couple of years ago Simon indicated he may be broody, so watch this space!
“I would love another kid. I really like being a dad,” Simon told The Sun in April 2023.
Loss that inspired Eric’s name
When Eric was born in February 2014, it was revealed he was named after Simon’s later father.
Simon was working thousands of miles away, promoting Irish boy band Westlife’s first number one in 1999, when he was told his father had died. Eric Cowell Snr suffered a fatal heart attack. Simon was 40 at the time.
“I went to Germany for a big conference, I did a big presentation and after some great news I called home. And I knew something wasn’t right, I could just tell. I think someone said to my mum: ‘Don’t tell Simon while he is there.'” Simon added that he “later called back and was told the truth. That flight, it was the longest trip home. It was bad.”
Max Clifford, the late disgraced publicist, told PEOPLE at the time of Eric Jrn’s birth: “What he is striving for is to build the same relationship [with his son] over the years. It’s the whole family thing — he got a tremendous amount of comfort from the relationship he had with his mum and dad. They were very, very close.”
It was added about Simon: “He wants to recreate the father-son relationship that he got when he was a little one from his dad.”
‘Pure love’
Speaking to Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast, Simon has since revealed: “I would have swapped all my success to keep him around. They [his parents] were my best friends, I told them everything. It’s like how I feel for Eric, it’s pure love.
“My mum [who died in 2015] so wanted me to have a kid. She got to meet Eric. She gave him a brown blanket. He was two or three when she passed away and he said to me one night and said looking up to the sky: ‘I’m thinking about grandpa Eric and grandma Julie.’ I thought, why would you say that? It was at that point I recognised that they were still with us. It’s not a total loss.”
Simon Cowell explains son Eric’s future role on BGT
According to Simon, Eric could step into his dad’s shoes on the BGT judging panel some day. He recently said how he reckons Eric may have an expanded role on the show following his cameo last year.
That’s because Simon believes it helps him with decisions while approaching the programme as if watching through his son’s eyes.
“I still run acts past Eric. I like watching him watch the show in real time. It’s fun and he likes it. He’ll be on the judging panel in a few years’ time. It’ll happen,” Simon said.
He reflected: “Ever since I had a son, and then I start seeing those kids and every time I think that could be Eric so to that point, that has really made an effect. Apart from that, it reminded me of when we first started making the show.”
Furthermore, Simon also noted in 2021: “Eric is a little me. I do say when he’s playing up a bit, I say to him: ‘Remember, Daddy has already done all this.’ I’m encouraging him to go into showbiz.”
Helping Simon give up cigs
Speaking in October 2022, Simon highlighted how Eric had a hand in trying to get his dad to quit smoking.
He told Extra: “Eric is really strict. If he catches me, it’s like being back in school. He’s the teacher.”
Simon went on to explain he’d almost packed in the fags with Eric’s assistance… almost.
“I have to sneak behind the hedges and I’m having my four puffs and I can see him following me around, but I said to him the other day: ‘Thanks to you, I’ve nearly quit,'” he added.
Britain’s Got Talent is on ITV1 on Saturday 1 March at 7pm.
So what do you think of Simon Cowell and his son Eric’s relationship? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.