was overcome with emotion on a recent episode of the Diary of a CEO podcast, hosted by the Dragons Den's Steven Bartlett, (UK's version of Shark Tank) , as he recounted the most harrowing time of his life. and . He was reflecting on his ascent to fame with hit shows like and X Factor when he received the devastating news of his father's passing.
Cowell shared his heartache, saying: "I think someone told my mum, 'Don't tell Simon' [while he was celebrating]. I phoned back and she told me and I thought, 'Oh my god, I can't believe it'. Because I genuinely, at that point in my life, I just believed my parents are gonna live forever.
It was bad. It was tough." He continued, delving into his faith and coping mechanisms: "However, I do believe in God and I do believe, because the hardest thing when you lose your parents is you can't even think about them afterwards because it's too difficult.
Everything is. Then after a while, when I have a question in my mind, I do talk to them in my mind, like 'What would you do? ' And I know what they would say. I really do still believe they're with me, but that was a very bittersweet moment.
" Opening up further, Cowell expressed deep regret: "I would have swapped everything [my success] to have kept my dad around. All the things he taught me over the years..
. it was the longest trip home from America, that flight. It was bad.
He was very wise and he did give me a good steer.", reports . "He only lost his temper with me once.
He never hit me, n.