Simon Cowell to new baby: 'I've waited for you all my life'

Mazal tov! Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman welcome baby boy on Valentine's Day; couple name son after Cowell's Jewish father, Eric.

By LAUREN IZSO, REUTERS
Simon Cowell (photo credit: REUTERS)
Simon Cowell
(photo credit: REUTERS)
British TV and music mogul Simon Cowell, who had long said fatherhood was not in his plans, has welcomed a son on Friday along with his Jewish socialite girlfriend Lauren Silverman, his representative Ann Marie Thomson said.
“He’s doing brilliant,” Cowell told the New York Daily News on Saturday morning. As he held onto a newspaper with the story of his son's birth on the front cover, he told reporters that he feels "like a daddy."
London's Sun newspaper asked the music man to share his first words with his baby boy, and he told them the emotional words he uttered to the newborn just after his birth.
His first message to his new son? "I've waited for you all my life."
The former "American Idol" judge's girlfriend, Silverman,36, gave birth to the 6 pound, 7 ounce (2.9 kilograms) boy in New York. It is her second child and Cowell's first.
The X Factor creator, judge and producer has Jewish roots - his father Eric was Jewish, although Cowell was raised Roman Catholic.
While Cowell has never shown particular interest in religion, the source told The Mirror in November that he is "open to reason on the subject of religion and the faith in which his son is brought up."
"But he is naturally inquisitive and really wants to visit Israel so that he can make a more informed decision," the source added.
Cowell, 54, who gained fame as an acid-tongued judge on television singing contests in the United States and his native Britain, has never married.
"I'm not brilliant with babies," Cowell told US magazine Parade last October. "I never know what to do. But (once he's older) I think I'll be a good dad in terms of advice."
Silverman's pregnancy first came to light last year when her ex-husband filed for divorce in New York and naming Cowell as a co-respondent.
Cowell's "The X Factor" contest was canceled last week by US broadcaster Fox, and he said that he would return to the judges panel on its UK counterpart amid sagging ratings.