Simon Cowell has explained how he has been forever changed by fatherhood. The 65-year-old will return to our screens tonight for the season premiere of Britain’s Got Talent.
The former X Factor judge will be joined on the panel by Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Bruno Tonioli. Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno was replaced on the panel by YouTube star KSI for three of the audition days.
Saturday’s episode marks the start of Britain’s Got Talent season 18 as the Ant and Dec hosted show first arrived on our screens in 2007. Simon’s public image has massively changed during this period as he has softened from the savage persona he was known for during his early days on TV.
Simon spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview last year and said he has felt different ever since his partner, Lauren Silverman, welcomed their child, Eric, into the world in 2014. He said: “Every time you see a young contestant, you go, ‘that could be my son’.”
He issued a heartfelt family plea, adding: “Everything happens for a reason and I think we all evolve as people. I think definitely being a dad does soften you up a lot. So I would say to anyone reading – just be a mum or a dad because it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Ahead of the latest season, fellow judge Amanda laughed she thinks the “old” Simon is on his way back. She told PA: “He did go soft for a bit, but I feel like he’s coming back.
“He’s just up for it now. He’s changed so much and I think that is because he’s got Eric to throw things at him and jump on him. And the orange sunglasses are a great addition too.”
Simon has explained the glasses help with migraines, adding: “I have lights in my eyes all day long and it’s like a laser and I get migraines and that’s like a filter. They actually do work.”
Britain’s Got Talent has crowned famous winners such as Susan Boyle, Paul Potts and Diversity during the show’s time on air. The winner of each season receives £250,000 in prize money and the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety at the Albert Hall in London.
A format change this year will see the live semi-finals air weekly rather than each night across a week as they had previously. The upcoming season is set to be a dramatic one for Simon as he revealed he had a near death experience in the audition stages, when he was asked to lay next to a line of watermelons as a contestant smashed them with a sledgehammer.
He told PA: “It’s that feeling when you kind of think somebody doesn’t want you on the show any more. It was that. It was the closest, genuinely, where I’m thinking, ‘they actually want to kill me’.
“And I swear to God, that’s how I felt because this guy got really nervous and he’d slipped and was shaking as he was smashing these watermelons. The health and safety guys, normally quite annoying, actually stopped him. Thank god, they saved my life.” Britain’s Got Talent airs tonight at 7pm on ITV and ITVX