Britain’s Got Talent guru Simon Cowell says he FEARS for fans’ safety after break-in at his mansion as he reveals plans for show with Cheryl… but new mum won’t be back on The X Factor
SIMON COWELL wants Cheryl back at his side – but NOT on X Factor, he has revealed.
The singer quit the talent show last year to start her family, but the music guru is confident he can lure the new mum back to TV screens soon.
Simon, 57, told The Sun: “I have one or two ideas in mind.
“Once she’s settled she’s going to want to be working again and I enjoy working with Cheryl — she is good.
“We still have a really good relationship and I think at some point we’ll probably end up working together again soon.”
But it would not be as a judge on either X Factor or his other ITV hit, Britain’s Got Talent — which returns to screens this Saturday.
Simon said of the two shows’ current judging line-ups: “I don’t think for the moment we’d want to make any changes.
“It worked on X Factor last year and the Britain’s Got Talent panel works really well.
“There’s always room to come up with new ideas for shows but you’ve got to look at the whole landscape.
“It’s a crowded market but there’s always room for something new if it’s a good idea.”
A reunion would be the latest twist in the sometimes rocky relationship between Cheryl, 33, and her old boss.
The former Girls Aloud singer was humiliated in 2011 when Simon sacked her from the US version of X Factor after just three weeks.
Cheryl sued the show’s production company and won an undisclosed sum in an out-of-court settlement.
She and Simon did not speak for months, and in 2012, when asked about a possible the return to the UK version she had joined in 2008, declared: “It’s a definite ‘No.’”
But Simon wooed her back to help boost ratings in 2014 and she stayed until last year when she left to start a family with One Direction star boyfriend Liam Payne, 23.
Their son, whose name the couple has not yet revealed, was born three weeks ago, on March 22.
And if Cheryl needs a smitten fellow first-time parent as well as an employer, Simon is also on standby.
Son Eric turned three in February and TV’s Mr Nasty turns into mush when talking about him.
His voice rises nearly an octave when he mentions the lad, who looks uncannily like his dad.
And the toddler has not just inherited his father’s dark hair and dress sense — he is also already building his own harem of women.
Simon said: “I asked him the other day how many girlfriends he’s got and I think he’s got five, so he’s doing OK.”
Eric hears a record once and knows the words
Simon Cowell
Eric, whose mum is Simon’s girlfriend Lauren Silverman, 39, is even after his dad’s judging roles.
The BGT boss said: “I watch him watching the show and the things he likes normally are the things I like.
"They take on your mannerisms and everything else. He is absolutely incredible and so funny.
“He can listen to a record once or twice and he remembers all the words. He knows who the artist is. It’s really astonishing.”
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The arrival of little Eric has also seen his dad become far more concerned about security — especially after a terrifying home break-in in December 2015.
While Simon and his family slept, a serial burglar snuck in to their five-bedroom home in Holland Park, West London, and stole £1million worth of jewellery.
Also alarming has been the number of stage invaders on live talent shows, like the one who stormed The Voice final earlier this month.
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It means the boss will beef up security on BGT for this series.
He explained: “You have to, after the stuff that’s happened at my home.
“At the same time you don’t want to become a recluse. It’s just being more sensible about it.
“Some of the stuff that you think couldn’t happen, may happen.”
Am I worried? Bloody right. Not just for myself, for the audience, the contestants
Simon Cowell
X Factor also suffered a stage invasion last November, when pranksters stormed on and left contestant Honey G shaken.
When asked if his attitude to security had changed after that moment, Simon said: “Bloody right — 100 per cent.
“I laugh about the fact people were throwing eggs at me three or four years ago.
“But I watched what happened that time with Honey G and it was like the whole thing was happening in slow motion.
“Is that part of the act? Who are these people? What are you doing? And unfortunately you’ve got to be more and more careful.
“It’s not just myself I’m concerned about but the audience members and the contestants.”
Yesterday The Sun reported that, according to BGT co-star David Walliams, Simon is “peeved” he has not got a knighthood.
While hosts Ant and Dec have shiny new OBEs the Syco boss does not have a single honour.
I have no idea why I’m not Sir Simon
Simon Cowell
And that is despite Simon being named in the past as one of the UK’s biggest charity donors.
Asked why he is not Sir Simon, he said: “I have no idea! I don’t know what the system is.
“It would be amazing to get it - but does it change your life? No, it doesn’t. I’m very happy with my life at the moment.”
He also played down expectations for high viewing figures for the new series of BGT — its eleventh season.
Last year’s BGT final, won by magician Richard Jones, peaked at 9.7million viewers, the show’s lowest ever figure for a final.
But Simon says everyone just has to get used to new viewing habits and the rise of catch-up.
He explained: “The audience is still as big but it’s diluted across all the different channels.
“An older audience are much more used to the old habits — they have to watch something on the night and they’re not too interested in catch-up.
“But the younger audience can watch it three nights later or a week later.
"I think the overall number is going to come down but if you’ve got eight or nine million people over seven days watching your show it’s still an impressive number.”
Simon also suspects that the move of No1 telly hit Bake Off to Channel 4 this year will see it lose viewers, helping BGT climb the year’s overall ratings charts.
But he joked: “If we were on the phone three years ago and you told me a show about baking was going to get 14million viewers I’d go, ‘Yeah, all right’.
“But people still love these shows — providing you’ve got the right talent on them.”