Simon Cowell opens up on playdates with Cheryl as X Factor judges 'end feud'
Simon Cowell has spilled the beans on his son Eric's playdates with Cheryl's little one, Bear, as they put their past feud behind them. The former X Fact judges were all smiles during their recent appearance on Saturday Night Takeaway's finale, following a bitter spat when the talent show crossed the pond to the USA.
Simon, 64, expressed his joy at reuniting with Cheryl, 40, on the star-studded series, hosted by Ant and Dec, after their relationship took a hit when he took the singing competition to America.
Back in 2011, Simon invited former X Factor judge Cheryl to join him in the States. However, he ended up giving her the boot, claiming that the Girls Aloud singer had "lost her confidence". The duo didn't communicate for years, but now, the Syco boss has revealed that he's back on good terms with the pop star.
When quizzed if his son Eric, 10, has met Cheryl's son Bear, six, whom she co-parents with One Direction's Liam Payne, Simon told Woman magazine: "They have and they get on well," reports the Mirror.
He also couldn't help but gush about seeing Cheryl on Saturday Night Takeaway, adding: "She hasn't changed at all. I miss her. We've had fun working together so it was a bit of a reunion."
Simon previously opened up about his past tensions with Cheryl, recounting to Radio Times the difficult period following her divorce: "My falling-out with Cheryl came soon after her divorce [from Ashley Cole] and was a nightmare."
He also reflected on the stressful launch of the US X Factor, admitting: "We were all wound up. There was so much expectation on the show in America and I definitely wasn't myself. I was uptight.
"When I saw her I didn't recognise her...The only way I can describe it is that it wasn't Cheryl sitting in that seat. She'd lost her confidence."
Cheryl, who kept her feelings under wraps at the time, later shared with Elle UK the turmoil she experienced after being let go from the show: "I can talk about this because I'm OK about it now," she said. "But I went through hell and it literally drove me mad. I became so desensitised, you could say terrible things to me and I wouldn't even think about it."
She eventually acknowledged Simon's decision to dismiss her: "Now I can say that Simon was right to get rid of me. I wasn't well in the head when that was going on, so it wasn't going to work. But he wasn't right not to tell me to my face."
As for reuniting professionally, Simon told Woman he's open to the idea: "Definitely, yeah, I would 100% - with the right show - because I think she's a really, really good judge."
