Simon Cowell Opens Up About His Heartbreaking Loss, "losing them was the hardest thing that happened to me"!

Simon Cowell (0:00)

It was the most devastating thing that ever happened in my life. Thinking, what have I got to live for? And, oh gosh.

Steven Bartlett (0:16)

Please welcome, Simon Cowell. The scale of his success is staggering.

Simon Cowell (0:21)

Who's changed the landscape of television and music. Absolutely dreadful.

Steven Bartlett (0:25)

As a kid, you were quite naïve, weren't you?

Simon Cowell (0:27)

Seriously naïve.

Steven Bartlett (0:29)

Trying to take on the world with a music publishing company which fails in the car park, and then you go from there to, I'm gonna start my own record label at 24

Simon Cowell (0:36)

I met Sunita in this club, and I thought I'm gonna make a record with her. I don't know how a record's made. I can't read music, but let's just do it. The first time it flopped, second time it flopped. Even when I had the hit, I owed the bank 500,000 pounds, and I'm broke. But I would rather be mocked for being different than being safe.

Steven Bartlett (0:57)

Do you remember this single? That album hits number one.

Simon Cowell (1:00)

Yeah, but this was a real bittersweet time because I get a phone call, which starts with, are you sitting down? And I was on a downward spiral from that period. Became a ridiculous workaholic, working till seven o'clock in the morning, suffering from depression. And the truth is, I still suffer from depression at times.

Steven Bartlett (1:21)

What about One Direction?

Simon Cowell (1:22)

The one thing I regret about One Direction is... So, boys, if you're listening...

Steven Bartlett (1:37)

Simon, in order to understand the man that sits with me today, what is the early context that I must know about that will help me to understand the Simon Cowell that all of us know so well? What is that early context, that the oven that you were cooked in?

Simon Cowell (2:00)

Well, I had a happy childhood. I was always bored though. I was really bored at school. I always wanted to have a life where I would be interested and have fun. When I was told the school days are the best days of your life, I'm thinking, oh my God, this is terrible because I hate school. So I was really determined to do something where I would be actually just having fun. That's what I kept thinking to myself.

I want to start making my own money. One thing my parents did do when we were very, very young because in those days, you could actually even at the age of about seven or eight, in our neighborhood, is go around to people's houses, knock on their door and say, can I wash your car? Can I mow the lawn? Because my mom and dad said, if we pay for the holiday, you've got to earn your spending money. So I'm like, fine. So, but I used to love it. If you got 10 quid for like washing a car, I mean, it was like, bingo. It was the best feeling.

Steven Bartlett (3:15)

So you mentioned your mother there. Can you tell me about the influence that your mother and your father, Julie and Eric had on you?

Simon Cowell (3:24)

When I lost them, particularly when I lost my mom, because then it was kind of final. It was the most devastating thing that ever happened in my life. I mean, it was as bad as things could possibly be. And we just had the most amazing relationship.

My mom was the disciplinarian. I remember, I must have been about four years old, maybe even younger. And I remember where I was, I was sitting in the car and she said something to me. And she said, manners maketh the man. And I'm like, what does that mean? She goes, manners maketh the man. And then she explained what that meant. And it's always stuck in my head because it's such an old fashioned way of saying, be polite. Both my parents were very kind of old school. They were very respectful to everyone. I always remember that. And I looked up to both of them and I always knew at any time I could go to them when I needed advice. And they would always give me the right steer. And they were always there for me.

Steven Bartlett (4:36)

Your work ethic is renowned.

Simon Cowell (4:38)

Yeah.

Steven Bartlett (4:39)

I've spoken to a lot of people in your team currently. And one of the things they always described is through much of what got you to where you are today is an insane work ethic. And when I say insane, I mean insane with every sense of the word. Where does that come from? Because, you know, you said your childhood was happy. And typically when someone has a pretty insane work ethic, there's some kind of trauma somewhere, you know. But for you, I couldn't quite identify what that was.