Inside Simon Cowell's $18M Mansion Where Intruder Once Robbed His Family While They Slept and Was Caught on Camera

• Simon Cowell was once robbed when he and his family were sleeping at their $18 million mansion in Holland Park in West London, England.
• The "X-Factor" creator also once found a stalker who had broken into his home in Holland Park hiding on a shelf in his giant closet while holding a brick over her head.
• Both the encounters of Simon with a stalker and a robber happened at his home in London, but the English entrepreneur has several different real estate, and today, he lives in another part of London.

Simon Phillip Cowell was born on October 7, 1959, and is 64 years old. He was born in England in East Sussex, in the seaside resort of Brighton. The English entrepreneur is also a recording executive, television producer, and philanthropist.

However, Simon is well known for his role as a TV host in popular reality shows such as "Pop Idol," "American Idol," "X Factor," and "Popstars." His popularity mostly came from his curt criticism of contestants and fellow judges.

The "X Factor," which was also created by Simon, won the best entertainment program award in 2004 from the British Academic of Film and Television Arts. In 2007, the "Pop Idol" judge produced "Britain's Got Talent" and was a co-judge.

Simon also ventured into the U.S., and in 2006 he created three new American shows called "American Inventor," "America's Got Talent," and "Celebrity Duets." The television producer also introduced the U.S. version of "X-Factor" to the country in 2011.

The media personality is famous for perfectly combining his musical interests with his love for television. Simon is also an entrepreneur who founded his media entertainment company Syco Entertainment which produced the "X Factor" franchises.

His Popularity and Engagement to Longtime Love

Simon has worked as an executive producer, consultant, and talent scout in the media and music industry. The shows he has produced, which have combined music and media, are "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent. "

"American Idol" was a big hit in the U.S., introducing Simon to this market and making him popular. This show brought into the limelight pop stars such as Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Hudson.

"Pop Idol," which debuted in the U.K., came before "American Idol." Simon produced this show, a significant entertainment hit that drew over 10,000 auditions. In 2019, the producer ventured into the dance scene and produced BBC One's "The Greatest Dancer."

"America's Got Talent," which is running to date, is a popular show in which Simon has worked as an executive producer since its start and is also now one of the judges. Television viewers love shows the recording executive has produced, such as "The X Factor," whose ratings were high.

The media personality has received several recognitions for his work in the industry. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Simon among their Top Entertainers of the Year. In 2006, Variety named the entertainer U.K. Personality of the Year

The philanthropist has also been on Forbes TV Faces List at number three in 2007 and on Forbes Celebrity Power List at number 21 in the same year. The producer's role in TV shows has earned him lots of money as he earned a yearly salary of $40 million for his role in "American Idol. "

Simon is a father to one son and is engaged to his forever girlfriend, Lauren Silverman. He and Lauren have a son together, Eric Cowell, who was born on February 14, 2014, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

The entrepreneur is smitten by his son and said that Eric reminded him of when he was younger and would try on new things but get away with it. He also revealed that he planned for Eric to inherit his businesses:

"I would do with him what my dad did. I would have him start as an intern to learn the job. The idea that one day he could be doing this or something similar, I would love that."

Simon's fiancée is the daughter of entrepreneurs Steven Davies and Carole Davies. Lauren has four sisters: Nicole, Susan, Jodyne, and Sarah. She also has another child, her first-born son, Adam Silverman, 17, from her first marriage to businessperson Andrew Silverman.

Andrew and Lauren divorced in 2013, a year before Eric was born. The mother of two is an entrepreneur and socialite who went to high school in Miami Country Day School and earned her bachelor's degree from Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

In 2015, Simon's mansion was a target of a burglary as much as it had security cameras dotted around it.

Simon had previously said he planned never to marry but claimed his son Eric convinced him to get married. The 64-year-old proposed to Lauren on Christmas Eve in 2021 during a romantic gateway in Barbados after dating her for nine years.

Eric and Adam were also present during the engagement. The recording executive said that he finally proposed because he felt family was everything:

"I think after everything all of us had gone through over the past two years, it changed our lives in so many ways. Family is everything, and that is what I kind of took away from it."

Lauren was surprised that Simon proposed because the father of one had previously stated that he was not the marriage type. According to a source, the recording executive changed his mind because he felt he had met his kind. The source noted that the duo was both excited by this step:

"Lauren cried happy tears when Simon proposed, she said yes immediately. She has been Simon's rock and supports him unconditionally. They are happy, love each other so much, and so the proposal was a natural next step."

Burglary in His London Home

Simon's house in Holland Park, London, was a six-bedroom mansion. The mansion, which is classic, is in an area where rich celebrities such as David and Victoria Beckham have their houses.

The mansion has unique features such as traditional sash windows and huge classic black front doors. Holland Park is one of the most expensive places to live in England. The average price of the houses in this zone is $5.1 million, as overseas investors love the area.

Simon's home is said to be worth $18 million. The Huffington Post did a tour of the house, which showed two telephones and six gigantic couches in the living room. The dining room can host up to ten people and has a Steinway grand piano.

In 2015, Simon's mansion was a target of a burglary as much as it had security cameras dotted around it. The recording executive, his fiancee, and his son, who was only 21 months, were sleeping when the thief broke in.

The entrepreneur believed that the criminal had inside knowledge of his mansion. He added that his family went to bed early on the night the thief broke into the house:

"The burglar got up to the first floor, and there were two doors. The first door led to the bedroom, and the second one to the bathroom. The bathroom door also leads to a dressing room where the safe was."

Simon noted that the thief could have walked through the bedroom door but chose the bathroom door, which he thought definitely meant he had inside knowledge.

The "X-Factor" boss also added that he was creeped out because the criminal passed just three feet away from where he lay asleep. Authorities speculated that the thief used public council planning applications to know his way around the property.

The burglar made away with cash and jewelry from the safe. However, Simon was only relieved that his family was safe despite the traumatic event.

A close family friend revealed that the dad of one only concern was the safety of his wife and child; that was his number one priority. However, the family friend said the break-in had shaken Simon and Lauren:

"They are incredibly relieved no one was hurt. As upsetting as it is, Simon can cope with losing possessions as long as his family is safe. That is his one and only concern."

The burglar evaded Simon's high-tech security systems during the break-in. He also got into the house when the music mogul's bodyguard was in the toilet and stayed for nearly 30 minutes.

Simon only became aware that a thief had been in his home when a patrolling security guard knocked on his front door to give him back his passport. The guard, M'Bathonha Mendes, saw the criminal leave the reality show judge's house and drop his passport.

M'Bathonha got out of his car, picked up the passport, and saw that it was Simon's. He approached the thief and gave him a chase when he ran, but he was outrun. The philanthropist told M'Bathonha he would give him a big Christmas present for his quick-wits.

The burglar, Darren February, was captured on Simon’s security camera and was later caught and jailed for eight years in March 2017. Darren stole $1.8 million worth of jewelry and designer watches from Simon's safe.

The break-in by the criminal in 2015 was not the first time the mansion's security had been compromised. In 2012, a stalker, Leanne Zaloumis, broke into the home and hid in one of Simon's giant wardrobes.

Leanne broke into the home by smashing the bathroom glass. Simon heard a loud bang from the bathroom while watching TV. Officers discovered that Leanne had broken the bathroom window with a brick, and her hands were covered with blood.

Leanne was given a 12-month restraining order. However, the TV show host was worried about the security of his house and wondered what would happen if a nutcase ever broke in. He noted that Leanne's illegal entry was the second time someone had entered his house and termed it scary.

Simon's Holland Park home was a brick masterpiece, but the media personality sold it. Its interior seemed to have simple décor. "The Pop Idol" creator once posted a photo of his son sitting on a white sofa in a house with matching curtains while he enjoyed a read-in.

The top entertainer owns more properties as much as this home was sold. He owns prestigious estates in London, Malibu, and Beverly Hills.

In October 2018, the entrepreneur purchased an 18th-century house in the suburbs of Wimbledon, London. It is presumed that Simon bought the house because he wanted to move closer to his son's private school.

The council granted the producer permission to renovate the house to meet the requirements of a modern family. The "America's Got Talent" judge planned to install underfloor heating, proper security, and air conditioning.

Mostly, Simon wanted to ensure the mansion prioritized security and privacy. He planned to elongate the sunroom and add a glazed conservation lantern to ensure his family could enjoy sunshine throughout the year while maintaining privacy.

Simon's Life after Burglary

In 2015, after a burglar broke into their home, the talent show judge could not bring himself to smile at the "X Factor" rehearsals. He wore a brave face, but the break-in still weighed heavily on his mind.

It is not only Simon's house that had been broken into; a neighbor told Mirror that a thief had been on the loose in the area. The woman resident added that the criminal was an opportunist who took everything he could find, including cash and iPads:

"He's got no problem slipping in through the back of mid-terrace ­properties, and he always does it when people are at home so the burglar alarms are switched off. Someone once came out of the bathroom to find the burglar standing outside her daughter's bedroom."

These incidences of insecurity explain why Simon sold the Holland Park mansion and moved to Wimbledon. The move marked a change in the couple's life as they now live closer to Eric's school. Their current residence is located south of the River Thanes.

The music producer's new neighbors are tennis player Boris Becker and ballet dancer Darcey Bussell. The family will now be enjoying world-class tennis every June as the location of their new home is known to host the Wimbledon Champions.

Simon, a hands-on father, enjoys spending time with his wife and son. In one adorable picture he shared, captioned "Bath Time!", the dad of one played with an infant Eric while giving him a bath.

Simon's primary concern at the moment is his son and fiancée. It is evident from his social media posts that he cares about his family, whom he adores greatly.