Lauren Silverman Says Pregnancy Scandal with Simon Cowell Felt Like Wearing a ‘Scarlet Letter’

Years after their relationship made headlines, Lauren Silverman is sharing a rare glimpse into her journey with Simon Cowell.

The New York socialite, 48, got candid about the deeply personal circumstances surrounding her pregnancy with Simon’s son on the Tuesday, June 16, episode of the Happy Mum podcast, hosted by Giovanna Fletcher.

The pregnancy that changed everything became headline news in July 2013, when it was revealed that Lauren — then still married to real estate entrepreneur Andrew Silverman, 49 — was expecting Simon’s child.

Lauren told Fletcher that the scrutiny felt inescapable, describing the experience as walking around “with like a scarlet letter” wherever she went. “It was all over the newspapers. It was all over the tabloids,” she said.

Andrew, who had been a close friend of Simon’s, filed for divorce, citing adultery. Lauren and Simon’s son Eric was born in February 2014 and is now 12. Lauren and Andrew also share a son, Adam, 20, from their marriage.

“You know, Simon is, I think, one of the most well-known people on the planet. No joke. And so with that comes so much,” she said.

Despite enduring years of public criticism, she said the experience ultimately forced her to grow. “I’ve had to kind of evolve and kind of build a thicker skin,” she said. “I know who I am.”

Now, Lauren says she has reached a new level of hard-won peace. “As I’m getting older and I’ll be 50 next year, I kind of don’t give a [explicit] anymore,” she said

That evolution also extended to her relationship with Andrew. Despite what she described as “a very difficult divorce,” Lauren said the two have built a respectful coparenting dynamic.

“My ex and I, we do have a very nice relationship,” she said. “He’s remarried and I get on really well with his wife. So yeah, I’m very proud of that because that’s not easy.”

Lauren and the creator of America’s Got Talent, 66, got engaged in December 2021. The couple recently appeared together in the Netflix documentary Simon Cowell: The Next Act, Lauren’s most visible public moment to date — and, by her own account, a major step for someone who spent years intentionally invisible.

“For 12 years I’ve been, like you said, people probably haven’t even heard me speak in public. Because I, I kept myself very, very private. And that was intentional,” Lauren said.