Music mogul Simon Cowell has shared a rare glimpse inside his family life with his fiancée Lauren Silverman and their ten-year-old son, Eric.
The BGT judge opened up about his private life during a recent appearance on Steven Bartlett's hit podcast titled The Diary of a CEO.
Whilst Simon spoke candidly about how he became bankrupt at the age of 30 and how went through a phase of being a workaholic, he also spoke at length about his parents' deaths and how Eric saved him from his depression.
During a poignant discussion about Simon's parents, the 64-year-old TV star revealed how Eric has grown an attachment to a brown blanket that was gifted to him by Simon's late mother who suffered from dementia. Take a look in the video below...
Visibly moved by the topic, an emotional Simon said: "My mum, she started to get dementia, but fortunately she saw Eric. She really wanted me to have a kid. And she bought him this brown blanket, and he still has it. Literally, everything is about the brown blanket."
"You know, 'Where's my brown blanket?', and he said to me, when he was about two or three after she passed away… He looked up at the sky one night and he said 'I'm thinking about grandpa Eric and Julie.'
"And it was just the way he said it, it was like, gosh, 'Why would you say that now', and that's when I genuinely really started to believe they are still somehow with us… It's not a total loss."
The father-of-one has a very close bond with his son and has previously been open about how much Eric's arrival has impacted his life.
Speaking in 2022, Simon shared: "After I lost my parents, I genuinely felt... I would never feel that kind of love for anyone ever again. I thought that was it... Until I saw the scan of him for the first time.
"From that moment I saw the scan, I was like 'That is it, I'm besotted.' Now I just cannot imagine my life without him. He's the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. I adore him."
Simon's relationship with Lauren
The X Factor judge met Lauren while holidaying at the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados in 2004. At the time, Lauren was married to Andrew Silverman and it is believed the couple began dating in 2012.
After a whirlwind romance, the couple went on to welcome Eric on Valentine's Day in 2014. Aside from Eric, Lauren is also a doting mother to son Adam from her previous marriage. Eric and Adam were both present when Simon popped the question with a diamond engagement ring. The couple are yet to reveal a wedding date.