Simon Cowell has a little American Idol on the way — and he never saw this future star coming.
The prickly TV talent judge was blindsided by the news that his good friend’s wife — stunning New York socialite Lauren Silverman — was pregnant with his baby, the Daily News has learned.
“The pregnancy has taken him by surprise. He assumed she was using birth control,” a source close to Cowell said.
“Simon thought this was a casual relationship — friends with benefits. The pregnancy was not planned.”
“He is feeling tricked,” added the source.
“No question that Simon will want to be part of the baby’s life, but I’m not so sure he wants to be part of Lauren’s.”
The 36-year-old Silverman, who was photographed cavorting with Cowell, 53, and her hubby last year in the Caribbean, is nearly three months pregnant and in the midst of a nasty divorce.
Apparently incensed over the illicit affair, Silverman’s real estate mogul husband, Andrew Silverman, 37, filed for divorce on July 15.
The papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court name Cowell as a co-respondent, suggesting the tryst will be a major issue in the divorce fight.
“He has to be a very angry guy because they have no-fault divorce in New York,” said Raoul Felder, a celeb divorce lawyer who is not involved in this case.
Felder noted that Andrew Silverman must prove he is not the father of the baby in order to avoid paying years of child support.
“This could be a knockdown, drag-out fight,” Felder said.
Simon Cowell Expcecting Baby
Cowell, also the creator of “The X Factor,” only found out about the pregnancy around July 10, a source said.
“She told him around that time,” a second source said.
“He didn’t have a clue before then and it has come as a complete surprise. . . . Simon has repeatedly said he doesn’t want kids.”
The revelation sent Cowell — a notorious bachelor who has been open about his aversion to fathering children — into crisis mode.
He immediately reached out to PR guru Max Clifford to “plan a strategy to deal with it.”
“He feels let down by Lauren,” the source added.
“They were friends first and foremost. This could be a ‘spite my husband’ sort of thing. Simon is convinced it was her friends who leaked the story.”
Cowell’s friendship with the monied Silvermans was no secret. The three were pictured together lounging on a yacht in St. Barts as recently as last Aug. 9.
In one shot, Lauren Silverman was caught cuddling up to a shirtless Cowell and running her hands through his hair as her hubby looked on.
By last year, the Silvermans’ marriage was already on the rocks.
“Lauren and Andrew have been unhappy in their marriage for some time,” a source told Us Weekly.
“As their marriage deteriorated, she and Simon became close.”
The Silvermans had been living the good life. They reside in a massive upper East Side apartment valued at more than $6 million.
Silverman’s family-run real estate firm, the Andalex Group, owns a slew of luxury buildings around the country — including the Arris Lofts in Long Island City, Queens.
An alum of the University of Pennsylvania, Andrew Silverman began his career on the trading floor of Credit Lyonnais before becoming the chief investment officer at Andalex, according to an online biography.
Silverman’s curvy, brunette wife was a frequent presence in the city’s social scene.
One of Cowell’s pals described her as a gold digger.
“She has a thing for rich, powerful men,” said the friend.
“She knows having Simon’s baby will mean he will always be in her life and he is a very wealthy and generous man.”
Lauren Silverman remained in hiding Wednesday. The doorman at her building said she was “away for the summer.”
But her mother is thrilled. “I’m delighted. It’s wonderful,” Lauren Silverman’s mother, Julie, told the Daily Mail.
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Silverman’s stepmother was equally ecstatic. “We are all excited for the baby,” Rosy Davis told the paper. “It’s beautiful. We feel blessed. Any kid is a blessing.”
Andrew Silverman wanted no part of the media attention Wednesday. He bolted out of a service entrance of his Park Ave. office and jogged to a waiting SUV after spotting a scrum of reporters.
Neither Lauren Silverman’s lawyer, Bernard Clair, nor Andrew Silverman’s, Jeffrey Cohen, returned repeated requests for comment.
And Cowell could not be reached Wednesday.
His rep, Ann-Marie Thomson, referred calls to his lawyer, Martin Singer, who did not return requests for comment.
The entertainment mogul has a long history of dating beautiful women. His last public relationship was with TV personality Carmen Electra. The couple announced their romance this past December, but Cowell confirmed their split just three months later.
“I’m now a single man,” he told People magazine at the time. “We spent time together and she is so much fun.”
Before his fling with Electra, Cowell was engaged to makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy. But the couple broke off their 18-month engagement in 2012.
The British TV mogul won’t have a problem finding space for his bundle of joy.
Cowell, who earns an estimated $95 million a year, owns an 11,550-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills. The $22 million estate is equipped with a private tanning salon, gym, spa and lap pool.
In addition to “The X Factor,” Cowell’s entertainment empire includes “Britain’s Got Talent” as well as stars Leona Lewis and boy band One Direction.
Despite his eye-popping wealth, Cowell has admitted that parenthood was not something he felt he was cut out for.
“God, no. I couldn’t have children,” Cowell said in 2009. “If I had them here drawing on the walls, I’d go nuts.
“With kids, you’ve got a routine you can’t escape from. You’ve got to be up at a certain time, got to listen, when all you want to do is sit in a corner thinking.”
But Cowell had appeared to soften a bit on the idea of having kids.
“Well … yes,” he said, when asked by AOL in March 2012 if he had had a change of heart on the topic. “And, no. I do really, really like kids, because I can talk to them and listen to them. The problem has always been how much time you need to devote to bringing up kids.
“I’ve always dedicated all my life to work, and at 52, I’ve probably missed the opportunity.”
Source: nydailynews
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