Eric makes me AKID AGAIN

Simon Cowell on why this year’s Britain’s Got Talent is different, training up his son Eric to become a judge and reuniting with Cheryl

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It’s been on our screens for nearly 17 years, but Britain’s Got Talent’s popularity is just as strong today as it was when it first aired back in 2007. Though the line-up of judges has changed over the years, one thing has remained the same and that’s the man behind the show, Simon Cowell – though he’s definitely softened over time! Here, the music mogul, 64, tells Woman how his 10-year-old son Eric gives him advice when it comes to judging acts, why Richard Branson ‘owes’ him, and how Ant and Dec recently made him emotional.

Hi Simon! You have a burping act on Britain’s Got Talent this year. You used to hate all that puerile stuff – what’s made you change?
I know! Do you know why? Because I was looking at Eric and his friends and they were crying with laughter, and I just thought, ‘Actually, it is funny.’ So I think he’s made me… I’m regressing, basically.

Would you do a kids’ version with mini versions of you all, like Little Ant and Dec?
I actually would, you know. To be honest with you, Eric did judge one act this year and he was actually really good. He said, ‘Mmm, I’m not too sure about the first song but I like the second song,’ and I went, ‘Go on, that’s my boy!’

Do you go to Eric for advice and show him clips of acts to get his input?