‘WATCHING ERIC IS LIKE RELIVING MY CHILDHOOD'

SIMON COWELL EXCLUSIVELY TELLS OK!’S SARAH MORTON ABOUT DOING THE SCHOOL RUN DATE NIGHTS WITH LAUREN AND WHY HE’S IN NO HURRY TO RETIRE FROM TV

- SARAH MORTON

Arriving at the spectacular Together For Short Lives Ball, Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman looked the picture of happiness as they posed together on the red carpet.

The couple are patrons of the charity – which provides support for families caring for seriously ill children with life-limiting illnesses – and helped to organise the OK! sponsored event, which saw celeb pals, such as Alesha Dixon and Kelly Hoppen, raise over £380,000 in one night.

And for Simon, the support of his friends and colleagues means the world to him. “You really see who your true friends are when they show up for something like this,” he tells us when we catch up with him the morning after. “I’ve learnt a lot over the years about who I can rely on.”

The evening proved to be a resounding success, but the nature of the charity meant there were plenty of emotional moments. One such moment came after Adam, a young father whose family was supported by Together For Short Lives during his daughter Emily’s terminal illness, spoke movingly about her death and the impact the charity had on her life.

Simon came to speak afterwards, but, clearly overcome with emotion, the Britain’s Got Talent judge choked up, and asked Adam to rejoin him on stage for support.

When we speak to Simon, 62, for our exclusive chat, he explains his reaction, which he simply puts down to the fact he is a father himself. “I just kept thinking, ‘What if it was Eric?’” he tells us, getting emotional at the thought.