As famous faces unite in support of Together For Short Lives, charity patron Simon Cowell shares an emotional message
WORDS: SUE LEE PHOTOGRAPHERS: JAMES RUDLAND, ADAM GERRARD PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: MAX SPANNER VIDEOGRAPHERS: CHEOLAN JEONG, IMADE OSAGIEDE
BETTER TOGETHER
Simon Cowell is a man rarely lost for words. But as the host of the recent Together For Short Lives Ball, he struggled to speak when faced with a mother’s heartbreaking account of losing her beloved son. The moving moment came during the OK!-sponsored event for the charity, which provides vital support for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
The glamorous evening, held at London’s Grosvenor House hotel, raised more than £300,000 with help from a host of celebrities including Christine McGuinness, Kelly Hoppen, Claire Sweeney and Vanessa Feltz, who all turned out to support the cause.
But it was the testimony of one mum that really hit home for the Britain’s Got Talent supremo, who has been a patron of Together For Short Lives for the last 15 years.
“It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to listen to in my life,” admits Simon when OK! catches up with him the day after the ball, which was MC’d by Joel Dommett.
“I don’t know how she got through it. Then, I had to get up and say a few words, and I completely lost it. I just couldn’t speak. I was thinking, ‘I just could not cope if anything happened to my son Eric. I love him so, so much.’”
“Although what we heard was tragic, it was a reminder why we were all there,” he adds.
The story, relayed by Manraj Kaur Sanghera, was particularly poignant for Simon as she revealed her son Arjun died on Valentine’s Day in 2020 – the same day of the year that Eric, now 10, was born.
It’s clear that Eric, who he shares with fiancée Lauren Silverman, is the centre of his world. The day we chat, he has been touring a potential new school for him.
“It was great fun, but it reminded me of my own school days. I would get that Sunday night feeling at 7pm – what excuse could I come up with for the following day to avoid it? I’d try every trick in the book. Fortunately, Eric’s not like that; we’re in a good place with him,” he says.
Simon, who is 64, admits that even before his little boy arrived in the world, he found the work of Together For Short Lives incredibly inspiring. Now, as a father himself, the testimonies of those helped by the charity affect him al
