THEY said he could never be tamed. Indeed, he described himself as the “only iconic bachelor left in the world”.
But in an undeniable sign of commitment, Simon Cowell’s ever-loyal partner of 15 years has officially taken his name, I can reveal.
Lauren, 48, quietly launched her Instagram account last month, using the surname Cowell.
While the couple have been engaged since 2021, sources say they have not married in secret.
Lauren is said to have wanted to share the same name as her fiancé and their 11-year-old son, Eric.
It is a bold move by the woman who has been through the ringer with X Factor boss Simon, 66, yet steadfastly remained his rock.
And now, ahead of his new Netflix boy-band documentary The Next Act, it has been predicted Manhattan socialite Lauren will emerge as the show’s unlikely star.
A friend of the family tells me: “This will be the making of Lauren.
“Initially she was reluctant to be a part of it, but the crew were everywhere and in the end it was impossible to avoid.
“It was only fair to viewers to show the ‘real’ Lauren and Simon — warts ’n’ all.
“There’s a scene in the show where you see them really bickering and it makes for very tense, uncomfortable viewing.
“Everyone involved wanted the show to be real and authentic, not some hyper-stylised and heavily curated puff piece.
‘It is a huge risk’
“People will get to see first-hand just how big a part of Simon’s life she is, and what a brilliantly real couple they actually are.
“While Simon, being Simon, might like to think he wears the trousers in their relationship, it is evident just how much she brings to the table — and what a calming influence she is on him.”
The Next Act, which follows Simon as he attempts to build a brand new boy band from scratch, is being considered his big comeback project.
While he has remained a permanent fixture on juggernaut Britain’s Got Talent, he has largely shunned publicity for the ITV talent contest in recent series.
And despite having millions of followers on social media, Simon rarely shares his private life with fans, so the behind-the-scenes documentary is uncharted territory.
By his own admission, The Next Act — his first with the streamer — is a huge risk.
Out on December 10, the six-parter shows 16 budding singers take to Simon’s home in Miami, Florida, for a bootcamp-style crash course.
In the trailer, the music mogul admits: “When you are putting a band together, it is like mining for diamonds.
“But there is a huge risk. If this goes wrong it will be ‘Simon Cowell has lost it’.
“The chances of this working are less than ten per cent.”
In one tense exchange caught on camera, Lauren storms out over a row with Simon about attending a graduation ceremony for her son Adam, from a previous relationship.
In the brief clip, a furious Lauren turns to the music mogul, who seems reluctant to join her, and says: “I never complain, I’m just there for you. That’s what you do when you love somebody. Can I be un-mic’d?”
A seemingly exasperated Simon, who at the time is hooked up to an IV drip administering vitamins, replies: “Oh, Lauren.”
But family is everything to Lauren. The socialite, who is independently wealthy, has only ever wanted a stable, loving home for her two sons.
So how did she persuade Simon to give up his “iconic bachelor” status?
Previously, he lived like a vampire, often staying up until three or four in the morning, thrashing through work ideas, chain-smoking menthol cigarettes, and supping from his 90-calorie beers.
Simon famously had a “harem” of female friends, many of whom were former girlfriends including singer Sinitta, who would follow him around the world.
And he had stated publicly that he was too busy and lacked the “patience” to have children, and did not have a desire to marry.
Then he met Lauren in Barbados in 2004, while she was married to Adam’s father, real estate businessman Andrew Silverman.
She started dating Simon years later, and they went public in 2013 when news of her pregnancy with Eric was revealed.
‘He’s a new man’
Simon has since said that becoming a dad is “the best thing to ever happen” to him.
A friend told me: “The prospect of domestic life — the sheer drudgery that might entail — absolutely terrified the hell out of Simon once upon a time.
“But now look at him. Largely thanks to Lauren, he has finally found the one thing that has always been missing from his life: balance.”
Today he functions like a normal person. So much so that with his fiancée’s gentle encouragement, he even surfaces before 9am. Supremely health-conscious, Lauren often suggests new wellness fads for him to try.
A huge fan of crystals — beloved of celebrities including Victoria Beckham, Adele, Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian — she strongly believes in their healing properties.
While it is fair to say Simon needed a little convincing, huge rocks now adorn both their London and Californian properties.
They even have a starring role in the trailer for The Next Act.
Lauren has not drunk alcohol for over a year, and Simon — who had already cut down after a string of health issues — has been encouraged to follow suit. He has ditched his 40-a-day cigarette habit — though he now vapes — and the couple are regularly seen walking their pooches, Squiddly and Diddly, near their home on Wimbledon Common.
Whisper it, but Simon has even been known to pick up dog poo — a task he might previously have left to a flunky.
This is the man who, after the arrival of his son in February 2014, said that he would be leaving it to the nanny to change Eric’s nappies as it wasn’t a job for “dads”.
A year later, Simon admitted he had, in fact, changed “quite a few”.
When Simon had a terrifying fall from his electric bike in Malibu in August 2020 and required six hours of surgery on his spine, Lauren helped him to heal both physically and emotionally.
That, friends believe, was the real turning point in their relationship. The newfound romantic proposed to Lauren a year later, on a beach in Barbados in front of Eric and Adam.
While Simon, being Simon, might like to think he wears the trousers in their relationship, it is evident just how much she brings to the table – and what a calming influence she is
on him.
While Simon is behind some of the biggest recording acts in the world including One Direction, Leona Lewis, Little Mix and Kelly Clarkson, he has a deep respect for Lauren’s opinion.
Often the pair watch and analyse series edits together.
She was also instrumental in getting good pals Robbie Williams and Ayda Field on to the judging panel of The X Factor in 2018, and the foursome regularly socialise to this day.
While Simon has enough cash to retire ten times over, the BGT boss revealed that he had been missing “signing artists and working with bands”. The Next Act is his chance to revisit his early career and show the public how much he has evolved since his days as TV’s “Mr Nasty”.
It is evident Eric, who also features in the documentary with Adam, has kept Simon’s energy levels to that of a man 20 years his junior. I have met Eric on a few occasions, and you could not find a nicer, more polite young boy.
There is not a hint of entitled nepo-baby about him.
A friend said: “We are all excited for people to see the show — and a bit nervous. With Lauren, Eric and Adam’s help, Simon is a new man and, quite simply, it is wonderful to see.”
- Simon Cowell: The Next Act is available on Netflix from December 10
