Lauren Silverman has shared for the first time her experience of being pregnant with Simon Cowell’s son, Eric, while still married to another man. In a recent interview, she opened up about one of the most difficult periods of her life.
On Giovanna Fletcher’s “Happy Mum” podcast, which aired on Tuesday, June 16, Silverman described the situation as “one of the hardest times of my life.” The 48-year-old entrepreneur is the mother of Eric, who is now 12 years old, and Adam, 20, whose father is Andrew Silverman.
The couple had been married for 10 years, and Andrew was a close friend of Simon Cowell. Lauren has been engaged to the America’s Got Talent judge since 2021. They first met in 2004 and became romantically linked in 2013.
Finding out she was pregnant with Simon’s child was an emotional and challenging time for Silverman. She explained that there were many emotions involved, as it marked the end of her marriage.
“There are so many emotions that went with that, because it was the end of my marriage, obviously,” she said. “It was one of the hardest times of my life, because — I don’t want to say regretful, because I don’t regret anything — do I wish it had happened a different way … of course I do.”
She continued, “But I think everything happens for a reason. It was just one of those moments where I knew it was right and that was what I wanted and that Simon was the person I wanted to spend my life with. And so, however we got there, I just believed that it was meant to be.”
Her husband filed for divorce soon after the pregnancy news broke. Silverman described the situation as “terrible” but added that she is now proud to say that she and her ex-husband have a good relationship.
“When I got divorced … it wasn’t a great situation at all,” she told the podcast. “It was terrible. I feel really proud to say that … we are many years past that point. My ex and I, we do have a very nice relationship.”
She added, “As much as I wish I could go back and take away the hurt and take away the pain that it caused for my ex-husband and for Adam … it happened.”
Silverman said she didn’t get to fully enjoy the joy of being pregnant with Eric because she was in “fight or flight mode.” The media attention made things even harder.
“I didn’t get to experience the joy of being pregnant with Eric because I was in fight or flight mode because there was so much interest in what was happening … I was just trying not to fall apart,” she said.
Coping with the media coverage was difficult. She added, “I felt like, ‘OK, this has happened. I’m a big girl. I’ve got to suck it up and get on with it. And whatever’s coming at me, I deserve it, I’ll take it and I’ll just keep my head down.’ And that’s what I did for a really long time.”
When Eric was born on Valentine’s Day in 2014, their lives changed forever. Silverman recalled the moment vividly.
“I’ll never forget that moment because … Simon was so emotional and I remember thinking in the moment, ‘G–, your life is about to change and you have no idea what’s about to happen to you,’” she said as her eyes welled up with tears. “Becoming a father — it completely changed his life.”
Simon Cowell has admitted that his son Eric helped him cope with the loss of his parents, Julie and Eric, in 2015 and 1999 respectively.
“Fatherhood has had a huge impact on me because I loved my parents so much, and once they left, I was kind of lost for a while, and then Eric kind of saved me,” Simon told People in 2025. “Because that love comes back a hundred times more powerful.”
He continued, “I mean, it’s extraordinary and it never goes. So I didn’t expect that, and when it happened, it was like, ‘Wow.’ I mean, it’s incredible.”
