BRITAIN’S Got Talent frontman Simon Cowell wants to be a father again – at the age of 63.

The talent show judge says he likes the idea of ​​providing a brother for nine-year-old Eric, the child he has with fiancée Lauren Silverman, 45.

Simon, who turns 64 in October, also says he hates the idea that he will never be able to experience the younger years he had with his son again – so he wants to enjoy them again with another child .

He said: “Just two days ago I was thinking, ‘It would be nice to have another one.

“Being a dad is the best thing that ever happened to me. I love every second I spend with him.

“So I think the next step is he’s going to be a teenager.

“Those years when they were young – I had such an incredible experience throughout those years, and I was thinking about it probably because of that.

“Eric has a lot of friends and we do a lot of things together as a family.

“But you never know with children if they are happy to be alone or how would it feel if there was another one?

“So look, is this going to happen? I don’t know. But I would like another child. I really like being a dad. »

Simon, who broke his back in 2020 after falling off an e-bike and spending months in rehabilitation, admits it would be a challenge but he’s already had to get back in shape to be able to play with Eric.

He said: “I’m 64 this year and Eric is nine. . . and when I play football with him, my God, I have to be in good shape just to play with him.

“His energy is off the charts, it really, really is.

“It’s show business”

“If I had to do it again, I would do it again, because I think breaking my back is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

“I didn’t really realize how unfit I was until I had to start doing all the exercises.

“But I feel better today than three years ago when it happened.”

Holding back the years is something Simon has mastered with some cosmetic upgrades, which he doesn’t shy away from admitting.

BGT hosts Ant and Dec even laughed it off in the first episode of the show’s new series, which returns to ITV tonight with its 16th outing.

They joke that there’s a new face on the panel, who everyone thinks is Bruno Tonioli, but then the cheeky Geordie duo say, “It’s Simon Cowell.”

Luckily, Simon sees the fun side – but he insists the rumors about his numerous procedures are overblown.

He said: “I think it’s hysterical. I mean, it just makes me laugh. I haven’t had a facelift or anything.

“I had a little Botox or whatever, but nothing drastic.

“So when I hear about this stuff honestly, it makes me laugh.

“Over the years, people have said I’ve done it all.

“But I don’t Google myself, so I really have no idea what everyone is saying about me until we do things like BGT.”

The man who is really the new face of the panel – alongside Simon, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden – is former judge Strictly Bruno, 67.

He joined the show after a two-horse race between him and funny Alan Carr, 46.

There were rumors that Simon wanted his companion Bruno, whom he has known for 40 years.

Meanwhile, panelist Amanda Holden was supporting her mate Alan, although she got on like a house on fire with Bruno as well.

Simon said: “I think she was disappointed because they are really good friends.

“I actually saw Alan a few days after Bruno announced and, you know, he was really cool about it.

“He said, ‘I totally get it, it’s show business. Either would have worked.

“Both of them met with the producers of the show. I said, ‘Look, you have to make the final decision yourselves.’ They said we were going with Bruno and I said okay.

“I’m sure Alan would have been brilliant and I know Alan, but not as well as Bruno.

“Bruno was just a completely natural fit on the show.”

Bruno got the job when David Walliams, 51, stepped down from the show last November after ten years on the panel.

It came after it was claimed he used derogatory and sexually explicit terms to describe the contestants – calling one a “c***” – during breaks from BGT filming.

David apologized, adding: ‘These were private conversations and like most conversations with friends, they were never meant to be shared. Nevertheless, I’m sorry.

Simon felt the comments went entirely against the “ethos” of the family show, but he said: “I didn’t really get involved in the decision.

“From what I understand, he decided to take a step back.

“Everything happened relatively quickly. I was on vacation and then I have conversations about who is going to take his place.

“We told both producers, ‘You have to make the final decision’ because, yes, I’m an executive producer, but they’re more involved.

“Obviously everyone had a say – the network, the Fremantle producers, all of us. said at the time, these comments are completely unacceptable. I hadn’t heard them before and, yes, it was overwhelming.

“But from where I’m sitting, it wasn’t something that I believe was consistent.

“Most of the time David seemed very respectful and emotional to the contestants and did everything a judge should do on a show like this.”

“Different Looks”

Did he rip tape off the star for his behavior?

Simon said: “We had a conversation. But you know, he owned what he said, he wasn’t proud of what he said. It’s not something I would ever tolerate. »

As BGT enters a new era with a new judge, Simon simultaneously kicks off a new chapter in his own life where he finds a better work/leisure balance – even during the grueling hours of filming BGT.

He said: ‘I was so close to living the rest of my life in a wheelchair.

“It gives you a completely different outlook on life. In a positive way.

“It hurt – believe me – when it happened, but good things happened at the back.

There is no underestimating the ordeal Simon went through.

In August 2020, he fell off an electric bike he was testing at his home in Malibu, California.

As a result, he had to undergo six-hour surgery, which included the insertion of a metal rod into his back to stabilize him.

He said: “There’s this moment when something like this happens – a big accident – ​​and you’re lying there and you’re completely helpless. It’s the worst feeling in the world.

“At that moment, you realize that health is more important than anything else.

“So I try to find the perfect balance. Now there must be a cut.

“Years ago, I literally worked all night. It was just normal for me. Now it’s a bit like 5:30 or 6 p.m., and that’s it. I don’t break that rule, and weekends are weekends.

“On BGT, you’ve been doing these days. You are honestly, without sounding dramatic here, emotionally drained, because you hear so many stories.

“So by the time we’re done one of those days, everyone’s straight to bed.

“Maybe it’s because of the pandemic, because obviously I spent so much time with Eric, and I loved spending that time with him, I thought afterwards, ‘I don’t want to not change that now.'”

“Really, really hard”

As part of his health regimen, which saw him lose 3rd place, Simon also gave up one of his biggest vices: smoking.

It only happened because last month he caught laryngitis which, much like breaking his back, turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise.

He said: “I’m vaping now so I’m not quite off the hook, but I haven’t smoked a cigarette for about three or four weeks.

“It was really, really difficult because I lost my voice a few weeks ago and when that happened I obviously couldn’t smoke, so that helped.

“I thought, ‘If I’ve gone four days without smoking, I can go a week,’ and then I thought, ‘Now is the time, knock on wood. This had to happen sooner or later.’

But despite entering this new era of his life, Simon has not completely forgotten one of his greatest past achievements – The X Factor, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.

Does he intend to mark the anniversary, perhaps by reviving the series?

Simon said, “I always want to do something, whether it’s BGT or another show where you can find artists who need a break.

“And luckily, over the years, the shows I’ve done have launched a huge number of careers.

“I think these shows, especially now with so many kids trying to get attention with 120,000 songs uploaded every day, everyone needs a secondary platform.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do about the anniversary, but in terms of, ‘Are we going to do another singing show at some point?’ The answer is definitely yes.”

And as Britain’s Got Talent contestants know, a “Yes” from Simon is always good news.

• Britain’s Got Talent returns to ITV tonight at 8pm.