How Simon Cowell Made His Proposal To Lauren Silverman Extra Meaningful

Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman have had a less-than-conventional path to coupledom. Silverman began quietly dating Cowell in 2004 while still married to millionaire property developer Andrew Silverman, per Daily Mail, and only when Silverman's pregnancy became public did their relationship as well. Cowell admitted in 2015 to the Mail on Sunday Event magazine that he was "not proud" of how he and Silverman came to be. "I can't hold my head up about it," "The X-Factor" judge confessed. 

However, one look at their son Eric (who was born in 2014, per People)'s sonogram convinced him they had a relationship worth preserving. "I called him Tad because he looked like a tadpole," Cowell told the magazine, per the Mail. "Something just kicked in. I felt unbelievably protective of both of them. I just absolutely wanted him. I just hadn't known that before." Despite his acerbic and arguably cruel-at-times wit, Cowell has often surprised over the years with moments of sweetness, whether as a judge of a singing competition or in affairs of the heart. When receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, Cowell gave his girlfriend a touching shoutout, saying (via People), "Lauren, you've been my rock for the past few years, put up with everything I put up with." 

With the news that Cowell and Silverman got engaged over the holidays, inside sources shared how the TV personality made his proposal all the more worth remembering.

Simon Cowell got engaged to Lauren Silverman on Christmas Eve in Barbados, the place where they first met, People reported. An insider told the outlet that Cowell treated Silverman to a beachside walk before popping the question on the sand. As the couple was on vacation with family at the time, the big moment was made more special given that it was shared by the couple's 7-year-old son Eric as well as Silverman's oldest son Adam. "They are both super happy," the source noted of the betrothed couple. "They've been together a long time now and adore each other so it's not a huge surprise to their close friends."

Cowell had just told OK! magazine in November 2021 that he knew Silverman was the one during the COVID-19 lockdown. "Like everyone, we were in lockdown for a long time and that's when you realise whether or not you actually enjoy each other's company or not," Cowell said (via Daily Mail), adding, "And we really really did ... We're closer than ever." 

Given that Cowell previously has said (via Daily Mail), "The truth is that you get married and in a year or two they clean you out! It's just not going to work," it's nice to see he has opened up to a less cynical view on the issue.