‘It was the hardest thing’ says Simon Cowell as he fights back tears and reflects on heartbreaking double loss
SIMON Cowell today fought back tears as he reflected on a heartbreaking double loss.
Talking about a part of his life that he still struggles with, the Britain’s Got Talent judge revealed “it was the hardest thing that had happened” to him.
Simon Cowell, 64, today showed his softer side as he talked about the ongoing heartbreak he feels at losing both of his parents.
The music boss’ dad passed away in 1999 aged 81, and his mum died in 2015 aged 89.
Today Simon was seen struggling not to cry as he reflected on how the death of his parents had affected him.
Speaking to Steven Bartlett on his YouTube channel, Diary of a CEO, Simon said: “Yeah, well. Like I said having gone through…you know, which was no question in my…
“Losing both my parents was the hardest thing that ever happened to me but I can sit here and honestly look you in the eye now and say, cause everyone says when you lose them you know, in time it’ll get better, you think ‘no it won’t’,
“The truth is it does, as long as you believe, and you have to believe that their presence is still there with you and I do genuinely believe that with my mum and dad…..
“And um— oh gosh. You’ll have to give me a minute.”
At this point he paused and gathered his thoughts, and looked tearful as he reflected on losing his parents.
Returning to the interview, Simon went on: “Um. My mum, um. She started to get dementia, but fortunately saw Eric.
“She really wanted me to have a kid. She brought him this brown blanket and he still has it.
“Literally, everything is about the brown blanket, you know ‘Where is my brown blanket?’.
“He said to me when he was about 2 or 3 after she passed away, he just looked up at the sky one night and he said, ‘I’m thinking about grandpa Eric and Julie.’.
Simon has always been honest about how the loss of his parents left him devastated.
In 2015, The X Factor judge and his family were left “heartbroken” when mum Julie sadly died and said they would “miss her terribly”.
A spokesperson for Simon said at the time: “Today our beloved mum Julie passed away.
“Anyone who had met her would know what a truly special and kind lady she was.
“We are heartbroken and will miss her terribly, but she is now at peace.”
The statement went on: “Julie, a former dancer, was a mother to four boys – Nicholas, Simon, Tony and Michael – and step-mother to John and June Cowell.”
I can’t lie, it was the worst day of my life.
Simon on losing his mum
A friend of Simon’s told The Sun at the time that he was “absolutely devastated” by Julie’s death.
They said: “His mum was the most beloved person in his life and they were incredibly close.
“But at least she got to see him settle down and start a family which was one of the great wishes of her life.
“Julie had been unwell for some time and she was in a home. But Simon and his brothers were in constant contact with her and the family remained very close.
“They had been paying regular visits to her bedside and it’s been a Godsend that Simon hadn’t had to do too much work in the US over the last year. He’s completely heartbroken.”
Simon was famously close to Julie, who was a source of great strength for the star, particularly after the death of his father Eric – the namesake of Simon’s son – who passed away in 1999 aged 81.
The music mogul has also previously opened up about the loss of his dad, who died at home from a heart attack.
Speaking to Piers Morgan, he said: “I can’t lie, it was the worst day of my life,” he told Piers Morgan.
“It was a horrible, horrible time.”