We’re used to seeing a stern Simon Cowell rolling his eyes behind a judging panel, but on Wednesday night the X Factor mogul broke down on stage as his partner, Lauren Silverman rushed to comfort him.
The TV boss was emotional at a charity ball after donating £100k to Together for Short Lives, as he watched a film about terminally-ill children.
An onlooker at the event for Together for Short Lives told The Sun: “Simon struggled to hold back tears as he watched a video of him and Lauren spending the day with terminally-ill children at the ceremony.
“He was clearly really moved by the experience and reliving it in front of a room full of people proved too much for him. Lauren acted at just the right moment and came to Simon’s rescue so he wasn’t alone – she was his perfect support.”
The Sun also spoke to Lauren, who is mother to Simon’s four-year-old son, Eric, who said: “Anyone in this room who’s a mum or a dad or who has a heart, frankly, can understand that seeing somebody in these situations is inconceivable – unimaginable.”
The 59-year-old had his fellow X Factor judge Ayda Field in the audience to support him and the charity – which speaks for children and young people who are expected to have short lives – and she posted a picture of her stunning dress ahead of the event.
Ayda – who is married to Robbie Williams – called it a “wonderful cause”.
Singer Peter Andre, 45, was also in attendance with his wife Emily MacDonagh.
Pete called it their “date night” alongside a stunning shot of them both dressed up. He also tagged in Simon, his brother Tony, and Tony’s wife, Emma.
Other celebs who showed up included Diversity’s Jordan Banjo, singer James Arthur – who performed – and presenter Melanie Sykes.
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Simon has long been involved in charity, and made a huge donation to a four-year-old’s medical bills only last month.
The little boy’s family are raising funds on a JustGiving page to take him to America after discovering a children’s hospital could potentially save his life with a treatment called CAR-T.
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The little boy’s mum shared a video of Simon appealing for others to donate on Facebook, and wrote underneath it: “Thank you to Simon Cowell for doing such an amazing job at supporting our cause.
“I explained to [my son] that Simon has helped to pay for his special medicine. [He[ said ‘thanks Si’ lol little does he know exactly what this actually means and how much closer we really are to getting him to the US.”
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