Simon Cowell's heartbreak over childhood nanny suffering dementia

Simon Cowell is struggling with another heartbreaking situation as a devastating disease is about to steal yet another fundamental female figure from the music guru's life.

Just two years after his mother's passing, Simon Cowell is facing yet another imminent loss, confided Mail Online. The music mogul was hard-pressed to hide his sorrow as he shared that his nanny, Heather, 78, is suffering from dementia.

Cowell, 58, explained that he and his two brothers, Nicholas and Tony, were raised by nannies, and had had little contact with their mother before the age of 4. Cowell's mother Julie succumbed at 89 to a stroke.

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The three boys' primary caregivers were British nannies, one of which was Nanny Heather to whom he had been particularly close, and had kept in touch with throughout his life.

Nanny Heather had joined the Cowell household at the age of 20 and looked after the three children for the following 5 years. Cowell has spoken of his grief, and how, when he visits, Nanny Heather still speaks of him as 'her boy' in her moments of lucidity.

'We had a bond when she was my nanny, she's an incredible person. It's heartbreaking she's going through this.'

Simon Cowell, Mail Online, 18th December

The "X Factor" judge is struggling to come to terms with the loss of Nanny Heather, whose health is now deteriorating.

The increasingly fragile lady suffers from a neurological disorder associated with memory loss and is also losing both her vision and her hearing, according to her caregivers.

Cowell was close to his mother and has followed her parenting style by hiring a nanny for his son Eric, 3. He is a constant presence in his son's life, he explains, but he doesn't change nappies; for that, he hired a top £200,000-a-year nanny.

Close friends confided in Mail Online that Cowell's mother Julie had been overjoyed to see her son start a family at last with his partner, American celebrity Lauren Silverman.

Silverman and Cowell have been together since 2013, and their son Eric was born in 2014. Silverman has another child, Adam, 11, from her marriage to Andrew Silverman. She met Cowell through her husband who was friends with the music boss.

Silverman and Cowell are said to have commenced their relationship in Barbados. Andrew Silverman divorced the striking brunette in 2013, citing her adultery with Cowell as the primary cause.