Eric’s the best thing that ever happened to me.. I know having a child will be the making of Cheryl
Mr Nasty as “Mr Nice” this week, there’s no question Simon is still driven by his successes on TV.
Nowadays, he is rarely anxious or as angry as he was earlier in his career and colleagues also say he now turns up for meetings and recordings on time. That was unheard of before Eric and settling down with partner Lauren Silverman, 39.
He is even open to the idea of second child – despite not bonding fully with Eric, at first.
He said: “You get through that first year and suddenly realise you can talk with them and they’ve taken on your mannerisms and everything else.
“I think he has got my charm. I asked him the other day how many girlfriends he’s got and I think he’s got five currently so he’s doing okay.
“Would I like more babies? I don’t make that decision, but, as you know, these things happen.”
Despite being in Los Angeles now and for most of the beginning of 2017, Cowell insists there is no risk of us losing him to America for good.
He said: “I miss England when I’m in America. I miss fish and chips, pies, baked beans on toast – it tastes different in England than it does in America. Lauren just said to me ‘rain’ and I actually do miss the rain. It sounds crazy but I do. I could never see myself over here in LA full time.”
BGT this weekend will show Simon exactly what he’s missing – with its weird and wonderful acts as well as the other two judges David Walliams, Alesha Dixon.
Dogs doing yoga, an eight-year-old stand-up comedian mocking the judges and The Missing People choir – made from families searching for loved ones – will stand out.
But Cowell will have security fears on his mind when he returns for the live stages in a few weeks.
The X Factor and The Voice have had to cope with stage invasions, which could also put people in danger.
He said: “I can laugh that people threw eggs at me a few years ago.
“But it happened with Honey G. Who are these people? What are they doing? It’s a sign of the times. You’ve just got to be more and more careful.
“It is not just myself I am concerned about, it is the contestants and the audience members. In any public situation you have got to be careful.”
But the TV tycoon is convinced in the current climate, with terrorist attacks, Brexit and Donald Trump in power, some light relief on TV is as important as ever.
“You can shut your mind off from all this stuff that’s happening and it’s a nice place to be.”
Britain’s Got Talent, STV, Saturday, 8pm.