Lauren Silverman has spoken candidly about the emotional turmoil she experienced after discovering she was pregnant with Simon Cowell’s son Eric, admitting the revelation marked the end of her marriage and plunged her into one of the darkest periods of her life.
Appearing on Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum podcast, Lauren, 48, reflected on the scandal that erupted 12 years ago after her relationship with Simon Cowell became public while she was still married to businessman Andrew Silverman.
Asked by Giovanna what it was like finding out she was expecting Eric, Lauren admitted the news came with overwhelming emotions.
She said: “There are so many emotions that went with that because it was like, the end of my marriage.”
Recalling the intense media scrutiny that followed, Lauren added: “It was one of the hardest times of my life and it was just, the way that people would look at me. I was on the cover of every magazine and there were news stories about it because… Simon being Simon… and it was just awful.”
The couple’s romance reportedly began during a holiday in Barbados with Lauren and her then-husband Andrew. After she became pregnant with Eric, Andrew filed for divorce, citing adultery.
Looking back on that period, Lauren explained that stepping away from alcohol in recent years helped her confront those painful emotions.
She said: “That was really the pivotal moment for me when I stopped drinking that I was able to really look within and say, ‘OK, this is how I feel and it’s OK to feel whatever those things are and with that, comes a real sense of freedom and independence.’”
Describing the experience as transformative, she added: “I can’t explain it, it’s like having a breakthrough, a fog lifted and that was such a huge moment for me.”
Simon himself previously admitted feeling guilty over the situation. In 2013, the music mogul said: “I let down a friend and I feel bad about that. But the good thing is I’m having a baby and never thought I would.”
Despite the controversy surrounding their relationship, Lauren and Simon went on to build a life together and became engaged in 2021.
Lauren also became emotional as she remembered Simon’s reaction when their son Eric was born.
She revealed: “Simon was so emotional and I just remember thinking in that moment, ‘God, your life is about to change and you have no idea what’s about to happen to you.’”
She continued: “There’s no way he could have known because he was someone who basically had everything under control and he kind of had his ways about him. And I think, becoming a father completely changed his life.”
Simon, now 66, has often credited Eric, 12, with transforming him from a workaholic into a devoted father.
Lauren also explained why she had chosen to remain largely out of the spotlight over the past decade.
She said: “For 12 years I’ve been… people probably haven’t even heard me speak in public.”
“I was very intentional about keeping myself private, but also, for my children and wanting them to be really protected in all of this.”
