With a cute son, a beautiful fiancée, a plethora of A-list friends, and some of the most successful TV shows in the world, Simon Cowell might appear to have it all. But being super-rich and successful doesn’t always guarantee round-the-clock happiness, as the 63-year-old music mogul confessed that he (initially very reluctantly) saw a therapist to help him overcome his struggles with depression, which got even worse after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although he was initially very hesitant to try therapy, partly due to the stigma associated with men talking about their feelings, Cowell is now a huge advocate for therapy and mental health awareness, and wants to tell other people how it “has had this super positive effect” on his life.
Simon Cowell Opens Up About Seeing A Therapist
On the Wednesday, August 30th episode of the Mirror’s Men in Mind podcast, the America's Got Talent judge opened up about how he initially "struggled" with the idea of going to therapy as he thought it was only for people with real trauma, but confessed that it really helped him overcome his battle with depression.
"I made the appointment, and I sat down, really embarrassed, and I said, 'Look, I just don’t know where to start,'" Cowell explained, in reference to his first ever therapy session. "Within about 20 minutes, it was as if I’d known [my therapist] for 10, 20 years," he continued, adding, "He put me so much at ease. And you realize you’re talking to a professional, and they don’t judge you — they listen to you."
The Britain's Got Talent judge told listeners that, like a lot of people, he too had the "Don’t cry, be a man" mentality, and thought therapy was only for people who have "gone through something pretty traumatic." However, he said that he quickly learned that therapy is "nothing to be ashamed of," adding, "We’re not all made of steel, and there’s going to be times in our lives where you just need somebody to talk to."
Simon Cowell Says Covid-19 Made His Depression Worse
Also in the podcast, Cowell confessed that the Covid-19 pandemic only made his depression worse, and he was "petrified" when he started seeing some of his friends get "really ill" from the virus. "I thought, 'God, if I catch this, maybe the same thing’s going to happen to me, Eric and Lauren,'" he said, in reference to his 9-year-old son Eric and fiancée, Lauren Silverman. "I didn’t know what was true or not. I just didn’t have a clue other than I was petrified about catching it. Just petrified."
The former American Idol judge said that isolating for most of 2020 due to his fears about catching Covid-19 meant he struggled with getting back into the real world, but had heard positive experiences from friends who had tried therapy after the pandemic. "Fortunately I met some friends who had benefited from therapy, and that’s when I thought, 'You know what? I’ve kind of looked after my body through diet and exercise pretty well over the years, but what have I done about my brain and my mind?'"
Cowell then went on to talk about how much he loves therapy, which is something he never thought he would say. "I wish I had done this 10 or 20 years ago," he confessed, adding, "It’s like a weight has lifted off my shoulders." He also said: "If you’d said to me, 'Simon, we’re going to be sitting down in your garden, talking about mental health,' I’d be going, 'Have I lost my mind or something?' I’m not a doctor, I’m not an expert, but in my own way, I’ve started to understand it more and done things myself for my mental health in a positive way."
