Simon Cowell Says Son Eric, 8, Helped Him 'Nearly Quit' Smoking: 'He Is Really Strict'

Simon Cowell has his young son to thank for helping him nearly kick his smoking habit.

The America's Got Talent host revealed in an interview with Extra that his son Eric, 8, is a major contributor to the 63-year-old "cutting down" on smoking.

"He is really strict," Cowell says of his son, whom he shares with fiancée Lauren Silverman. "If he catches me, it's like being back in school. He's the teacher."

"I have to sneak behind the hedges and I'm having my four puffs and I can see him following me around, but I said to him the other day, 'Thanks to you, I've nearly quit,' " he shared.

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Last month, Cowell stepped out with his fiancée and their son at America's Got Talent season 17 finale.

The family of three posed for photos on the carpet together, with Cowell pointing to his son in one of the sweet pictures.

For the special event, Eric wore a blue polo with jeans and a pair of Nike sneakers while his dad opted for his signature plain black t-shirt. Silverman looked chic in a dark red one-shoulder dress that featured a cutout on the side.

While appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show last year, Cowell opened up about how becoming a parent changed his life forever.

Host Kelly Clarkson said she thought it was sweet that the famously gruff critic was working on a series of children's books about imaginary animals with his young son.

The father-son duo announced in February 2020 that they had inked a publishing deal with Hachette Children's Group for a seven-book series called Wishfits about these "magical and unusual" creatures, Deadline reported.

"It's been brilliant," Cowell said of the project. "I never thought I would do something like this."