Star of BGT Simon Cowell has happily been in a relationship with his socialite fiancée Lauren Silverman for many years. However, that hasn’t stopped the talent show judge from keeping their romance low-key.
That said, there have been times when the couple has been open with the public about their ongoing relationship.
From their affair to starting a family, here’s everything we know…
Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman first meeting
While they didn’t start dating until much later on, Simon and Lauren first met in 2004 on a vacation. It has been reported that the pair happened to be staying at the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados at the same time.
During their first meeting, Lauren was married to Simon’s close friend Andrew Silverman.
2012
Nearly a decade after meeting, Simon and Lauren appeared to start their relationship in 2012. At the time, Lauren was still married to Andrew.
Their affair made headlines in July 2013 after it was announced that Lauren and Simon were expecting a child together. Upon hearing the news, Andrew filed a divorce and Simon was named as a “co-respondent” in the court papers for adultery.
The story was heavily reported in the media, which led for Simon’s representative to share a statement: “This is a very sensitive issue and all media enquiries are being dealt with by his U.S. attorney.”
Simon is ‘not proud’ of their affair
During an interview with the Mirror in 2014, Simon admitted he was “not proud” that their relationship started with an affair and admitted he did “regret” that part.
“It is not something I am proud of or wanted to happen in terms of hurting anyone,” he continued. “It just happened. You have to deal with it and man up to it. You have to accept the responsibility and the criticism.”
Following Lauren’s divorce from Andrew, she and Simon haven’t been shy about taking vacations and attending red-carpet events together.
Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman children
After announcing her pregnancy with Simon, Lauren gave birth to a son named Eric in February 2014.
While this became Simon’s first child, Lauren already had another son, Adam, with her ex-husband, whom Simon is now the stepfather of.
Despite embracing fatherhood, Simon admitted he hadn’t thought about having children previously. During a televised interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2021, he opened up about how becoming a dad changed him.
“After I lost my parents, I genuinely felt, Kelly, I would never feel that kind of love for anyone ever again. I thought that was it… until I saw the scan of [Eric] for the first time,” he said.
“From that moment I saw the scan, I was like ‘That is it, I’m besotted,'” he continued. “Now I just cannot imagine my life without him. He’s the most amazing thing that ever happened to me – I adore him.”
Simon and Lauren attend couple’s therapy
After struggling with his mental health during the pandemic, Simon revealed he and Lauren attended couple’s therapy together.
During an interview with Extra presenter Terri Seymour at his home in Malibu, Simon said the sessions have made their relationship healthier.
“There was one point when we were together and I looked at the two therapists and their faces were like… and when we got out, we both cracked up and said, ‘God, what must they be thinking?'” he said.
“Then I spoke to my therapist afterward and he said, ‘Honestly, Simon, that was nothing,’ but it is healthy to go somewhere and let it all out.”
Simon confessed that he wished he had been going to therapy a lot sooner. “I should have done it years ago, I think 20/25 years ago. If you have a family and working, everyone gets stressed,” he added.
“The idea you bottle everything up, you really have to talk about it.”
Simon proposes to Lauren
As of this writing, Simon and Lauren are not married. However, Simon did propose to the socialite on Christmas Eve in 2021 while in Barbados, where they first met.
The proposal was a private event. That said, Simon’s son Eric was reportedly there as well as Lauren’s son Adam.
When the news was shared with fans, Simon’s close friend and fellow BGT judge Amanda Holden admitted she was surprised.
“Simon said he would never get married, and obviously Lauren has been by his side, and you know they’ve been through so much together,” she said on her Heart FM radio show. “I think she’s the one, but I don’t know if she ever thought he would put a ring on it.”
In 2022, Simon told Entertainment Tonight that Eric played a part in the proposal: “One hundred percent he had to coach me. And we planned it. He was a big part of it.”
His opinion on getting married was also impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “I think after everything all of us had gone through over the past two years, it has changed our lives in so many ways,” he said. “Family is everything and that is what I kind of took away from it.”
BGT airs tonight (April 21) from 7.40pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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