Simon Cowell: ‘My son Eric has made me a softer judge on Britain’s Got Talent’

The head of the judging panel feels he might have been ‘a little bit hard’ on some former contestants

Softer: Simon Cowell says becoming a dad has made him less harsh of a judge

ITV

Ben Travis5 April 2016

Simon Cowell claims that he’s softened in recent years thanks to the arrival of his son Eric.

The head judge on Britain’s Got Talent and the X Factor has a reputation for his no-nonsense criticisms, but says that being a father (and dog owner) has made him ‘softer’.

“Have I changed? Maybe I’ve got a bit softer, now I’ve had Eric – and I’ve got my dogs,” he said in a recent interview ahead of the new series of Britain’s Got Talent.

Cowell also admits that he was ‘a little bit hard’ on some former contestants on the show – but isn’t worried about telling people if they’re ‘terrible’.

“I see clips from the earlier shows sometimes, and I’m like, maybe I was a little bit hard on those people,” he confessed. “But look, if you’re gonna judge a show, you’re going to judge a show. There’s no point in saying to someone you like it if it’s terrible.”

“It’s a very different thing when you judge a variety show than it is a music show, because I am outside my comfort zone.