Simon Cowell jokes baby Eric's first word will be a bark

July 30, 2015Jul 30, 2015, 12:59 PM GMT+1

Simon Cowell has previously said that he and his son Eric "basically like the same things" – watching Scooby Doo and laughing at their pet dogs. But the doting dad has started to fear that his 17-month-old baby is spending so much time with his four-legged friends that his first word may come out as a bark.

"I have no idea what he is going to talk like," Simon told the Daily Star. "His mum is American, I am English and a lot of the girls in my house are from the Philippines."

The X Factor judge, who is the proud owner of two adorable terriers, jokingly added: "He spends most of his time with Squiddly and Diddly. He is going to end up barking."

Simon Cowell joked of his baby son: "He is going to end up barking"

Simon and his American girlfriend Lauren Silverman welcomed their son on Valentine's Day in 2014. The music mogul even confessed that he feared he would love his pooches more than his own son, before baby Eric was born.

"I actually said to Lauren beforehand, 'What if I like the dogs more than him?'" Simon has previously told Extra.

"And she said, 'You're gonna be absolutely fine,' and then literally within seconds of him being born, I got it! I was born to be a dad."

The X Factor judge is the proud owner of pet dogs Squiddly and Diddly

Simon, who adopted his dogs in October 2013, is often pictured out and about with his pet dogs and sometimes takes them to X Factor auditions. The Lambeth-born star also likes to update his Twitter followers with photos of Squiddly and Diddly, as well as his mini-me son Eric.

His latest tweet, however, was to address the news that Zayn Malik, previously of One Direction, is launching his solo career. The 22-year-old quit the successful boy band in March.

Simon and Lauren Silverman welcomed baby Eric on Valentine's Day in 2014

"We have been working on this for a while and I am pleased to say congratulations to @Zaynmalik on signing with @RCARecords," wrote Simon.

"I believe they are the perfect label for @ZaynMalik's solo career and I am sure whatever they release together will be special."

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