Baby Eric Cowell weighs in at 6lbs 7oz; Sinitta tweets hairy-baby pic
Music mogul Simon Cowell and socialite Lauren Silverman are naming their Valentine’s Day baby son Eric.
The couple’s spokeswoman AnnMarie Thomson said Eric weighed 6lbs 7oz and is named after Cowell’s father.
The 54-year-old X Factor judge jetted over to New York and was by his partner’s side as she gave birth, leaving his seat at the auditions for Britain’s Got Talent beside fellow judges David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden empty.
Cowell posted a series of tweets about the happy event, saying the new mum was in “great shape” and describing his son as “healthy and handsome”.
Very happy to say Eric was born at 17.45pm. Healthy and handsome.
— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) February 15, 2014
Lauren in great shape. Thanks for all of your kind messages.
— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) February 15, 2014
Last year Cowell dodged questions about his relationship with then-married Silverman. But he later called her “special” and said he feels good about fatherhood, something he had not previously considered.
People magazine reported that Silverman’s divorce from Andrew Silverman became final in New York in December.
David Walliams joked on Twitter that Cowell had named his son after a host of celebrities and an ex-girlfriend.
Huge congratulations to @SimonCowell and Lauren Silverman on the birth of their son. They have named him David Sinitta Louis-Walsh Cowell.
— David Walliams HQ (@davidwalliams) February 15, 2014
Piers Morgan also took to Twitter to say that calling the baby Eric in honour of the father Cowell “adored” is a “lovely tribute”.
Cowell’s father died of a heart attack in 1999 aged 81 and the star has previously described him as a “brilliant mentor”.
Cowell was seen nervously puffing on a cigarette before entering the maternity ward, according to the Sun.
A friend told the newspaper: “Simon was in shock when he got the pre-dawn call. It’s not often he loses his cool but this was one of those times.”
At that point a “very excited” Holden tweeted that she hoped he would have a “safe flight and safe birth”, while Sinitta, one of Cowell’s ex-girlfriends, tweeted a a mocked-up photograph of a baby with its nappy hitched up to his chest, some fake chest hair and a dense mop of black hair.
Is ThisThePic? pic.twitter.com/qcLWePvpz1
— Sinitta 16 (@sinittaofficial) February 14, 2014
All is well and baby boy says "parents are well and CUTE!". Happy Valentines day BABY!! #justInTimeValentine!
— Sinitta 16 (@sinittaofficial) February 14, 2014
