Simon Cowell admits ‘I’ll probably drop dead doing what I’m doing’ after family struggle

Simon Cowell has revealed he will likely “drop dead” before he retires as he doesn’t want to be in the same position as his dad.

The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent judge, 64, said his father “didn’t want” to stop working when he got older, but he was left with no choice because he worked for a large company. It hammered home the importance of working “for yourself” for Simon, who said his dad urged him to strive for self-sufficiency, as he and the family felt “very sad” when he eventually had to retire. Speaking to Hello!, Simon said: “Oh God no. I’ll probably drop dead doing what I’m doing. As long as I think there’s a need or a purpose and it’s something I can do well, I’m up for it.

He continued: “I remember the day my dad retired – it was very sad because he really didn’t want to stop working, but he had no choice as he worked for a big company. “He said to me when I was young, ‘If you can try to work for yourself, do,’ and it always stuck in my head. Seeing what he went through was hard.”