Simon Cowell Didn’t Recognize Himself Due to Different Look — Son’s ‘Hysterics’ Made Him Stop From Going 'Too Far'

• At age 63, Simon Cowell is almost entirely unrecognizable to his fans and himself after having countless surgical procedures done.
• The "Britain's Got Talent" judge has continued to undergo cosmetic surgery to stay looking "young," however after his altered appearance sent his son into "hysterics," Simon decided to stop procedures altogether.
• The TV personality plans to surprise his bride-to-be by taking charge of the wedding planning.

Simon Phillip Cowell is a household name in television and music who has gone on to produce multiple hit TV shows and launch several talents to stardom. As a British recording executive and television producer, he is globally known for co-judging and co-producing sensational shows such as "The X Factor" and "American Idol" under his company, Syco Productions.

Before his rise to fame, Cowell dropped out of high school at age 16 and began working in the mail room for EMI Music Publishing. A few years later, he got promoted to search for musical talent. He then became an artist and repertoire consultant at BMG Records, ultimately catapulting him into an influential musical powerhouse.

Cowell is widely known for his less-than-polite critiques and slightly harsh judgments of budding artists on his noteworthy talent shows. Thus, it comes as little to no surprise that the "America's Got Talent" judge has expressed his unlikelihood of becoming a father and getting married in the past:

"I'm too old to have a baby. When I respect somebody, I say I'm not going to marry you out of respect. I think it's the decent thing to do. A lot of showbiz marriages don't work out."

The British entrepreneur has also talked about being too "weird" for someone to love, which is why he will never get married. He spoke about how he tends to be picky about needing his own time alone and how "selfish" his tendencies are— things that make him a "difficult" person to live with.

In February 2014, Cowell became a father to his son, Eric, whom he shares with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman. The couple had publicized their relationship in 2013 when they revealed that Silverman was pregnant with baby Cowell.

Weighing in at 6 pounds and 7 ounces, Cowell named his son after his deceased father, Eric Cowell. The British entrepreneur shared how baby Eric completely changed his previous stance on fatherhood:

"After I lost my parents, I genuinely felt I would never feel that kind of love for anyone ever again. I thought that was it until I saw the scan of him for the first time. From that moment I saw the scan, I was like, 'That's it, I'm besotted.' Now I just cannot imagine my life without him. He's the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. I adore him."

The father and son duo love spending time together, with Eric completely changing his father into a fully-fledged "family man." The family of three (including the mom of Eric, Laura Silverman) has already been on family vacations. On their first family getaway, Cowell recalled precious moments with his son:

"I never expected to be a father, but I love it. Eric makes me laugh. He and I communicate very well because we like the same things - "Scooby Doo," Disney movies, [and] laughing at dogs."

Silverman even reported how much Cowell's lifestyle changed when their baby was born. She stated that Cowell's house had completely transformed into a "family home" following baby Eric's arrival.

Cowell and Silverman first met in 2004 during a vacation in Barbados. However, Silverman was married to her ex-husband, Andrew Silverman, at the time. The pair began secretly dating a couple of years later before announcing their pregnancy in 2013 and after confirming Silverman's divorce from her ex-husband.

Before the announcement of their couple status, Silverman had been expressive of her "unhappiness" in her previous marriage to Andrew, with whom she shares a 7-year-old son. After Andrew received word of Silverman's pregnancy with Cowell, he expressed that his main concern was protecting their son:

"My top priority is protecting my 7-year-old son while working to resolve all outstanding issues with my wife. Hopefully, people can respect the interest of our child during this process."

After Silverman's divorce was finalized and their baby was born, Cowell went on to do an exclusive interview with Extra TV where he spoke on the birth of his son and his relationship with Silverman. He talked about how nervous he was about becoming a father and then how quickly his nerves went away when Eric was born:

"I actually said to Lauren beforehand, 'What if I like the dogs more than him?' and she said, 'You're gonna be absolutely fine,' and then literally within seconds of him being born, I got it! I was born to be a dad."

The happy couple made several appearances and sightings at an array of A-list events announcing the confirmation of their relationship. In 2021, after nearly a decade of dating seriously, Cowell proposed to Silverman where they first met—in Barbados on a family trip. The newly engaged couple was congratulated and celebrated by friends and family, who had nothing but good things to say:

"They have fun together, as well as being each other's rock. They are both passionate [about one another] but really do bring out the very best in each other. As a family, they all have such an incredible bond."

When it comes to the planning of their wedding, Cowell is in the driver's seat. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the A-list producer expressed his desire to take over the planning of their nuptials in an effort to keep things "controlled" and "organized."

Simon's Son Changed His Life For The Better

Before becoming a father, Cowell was all work and no play, so the television guru would experience regular burnouts due to his obsession with working around the clock. The "American Idol" judge admitted to this dangerous obsession that nearly destroyed him:

"Before Eric, my life was 99 percent work - I was obsessed with it. I got to that point where everything was about, 'If you're not rating against this, then you're a failure,' and I stopped enjoying what I was doing, and I was miserable the whole time. I was obsessed with beating the competition. I took it to a ridiculous level, and I would get really down about that stuff, to the point I was depressed."

Having a son in his life forced Cowell to change his hectic work schedule and helped deflate his ego-driven goal of producing the best TV shows against his fellow competitors. The British mogul revealed how lucky he has been with the birth of Eric and doesn't know how things would have turned out if Eric hadn't been born.

The Simon Cowell the public knows now is very different from the one from previous years. The talent scout now realizes the importance of family and spending time with loved ones. He now understands how to balance family life while still ensuring to leave a legacy behind for Eric:

"If you were to ask me now which is more important, my career or my family, then I'd say my family, 100 percent. But when you talk about legacy, you want to believe what you've done has been worth it. That's important too."

When the "America's Got Talent" quarter-finals red carpet event arrived, a very unrecognizable and indistinguishable Cowell appeared. His face seemed wholly lopsided and slack, and the skin on his forehead looked pulled back to reduce the sight of wrinkles. The scouting superstar's surprisingly different appearance even prompted the co-founder of Harley Street Skin, Dr. Aamer Khan, to weigh in on what happened:

"Simon Cowell has lost a lot of weight recently, and that weight loss is clearly showing in his face, especially in his mid-face, which appears to have dropped slightly, altering his appearance. His forehead is very smooth, which indicates that he may have had Botox recently. However, his eyelids look very heavy, and it is quite possible that the Botox has caused his eyelids to droop."

After falling down the stairs of his home one night in October 2017, Cowell drastically changed his lifestyle. He converted to veganism and cut out meat, sugar, dairy, and wheat, which made him lose a lot of weight— 20 lbs. Despite his attempt to garner a healthier-looking appearance, fans were still in shock after recent pictures of the A-lister emerged.

Cowell claimed to be done with getting more work done to his face because he realized how unrecognizable he was becoming, even to himself. The producer reported how one particular "before" picture he had seen rendered him incapable of recognizing that it was him.

Another reason for his filler removal and his realization that he might have gone "a bit too far" was his son, Eric, who was in "hysterics" after being exposed to his dad's ever-changing features.

Cowell is not here for the wedding planning drama that typically occurs whenever the happy occasion arises.

Cowell's shocking weight loss is also due to his tragic 2020 e-bike crash, which hospitalized him for several weeks. The accident required a 6-hour back surgery and nearly left him unable to walk again. The mandatory requirement for Cowell to wear a surgical back brace has been attributed to his slender-looking appearance.

Simon Is Set To Head To The Chapel with Lauren Silverman

After surviving his nearly fatal bike crash, Cowell is ready to marry his long-time girlfriend and fiancée, Silverman. The "The X Factor" alumn spoke on how he intends to wed Silverman and gave a little bit of insight into how the decision to continue with wedding plans ensued:

"We were in the same house for over a year, and I thought, 'Well, actually, we get on really, really well.' And for Eric as he gets older, he will be asked more and more about his parents, and I thought it was the right thing to do for him. I also just couldn't see myself ever dating anyone again. The idea of going out on a first date now is too weird."

Cowell is not here for the wedding planning drama that typically occurs whenever the happy occasion arises. In an effort to do away with arguments and the back and forth between multiple planners, the "Britain's Got Talent" producer and judge has taken the reigns on all planning endeavors to do with the wedding.

So far, Cowell has reported handling the wedding day plans with ease. He attributes this to his decision not to have wedding planners involved in the planning as well as the extensive familiarity and closeness shared by himself and his future wife:

"It depends on how big or small you make it. Don't forget, we've known each other a long time, so trust me, this is not gonna be a thousand people turning up or whatever. It's easy. I like to make everything spontaneous, and doing that will make it a lot more fun."

Until the big day arrives, Cowell is spending his time with his son. The father and son duo are always seen posting adorable pictures on Twitter together. Little Eric has even made his debut in an interview his father was doing speaking about Children's Hospice Week, where a charismatic Eric is seen stealing the spotlight from his dad.