Simon Cowell hopes to be “very close” with his son.
The TV mogul and his girlfriend Lauren Silverman welcomed their first child, Eric Phillip, on Friday.
Simon named the tot after his own father, Eric Cowell, who died of a heart attack in 1999.
And the reality star’s longtime publicist reveals it means the world to Simon to build the same strong bond he shared with his dad with little Eric.
"He wants to recreate the father-son relationship that he got when he was a little one from his dad," Max Clifford told People magazine.
"What he is striving for is to build the same relationship [with his son] over the years. It's the whole family thing – he got a tremendous amount of comfort from the relationship he had with his mum and dad. They were very, very close."
The media mogul’s mother, Julie Brett, was said to be deeply moved at the tribute to her late husband, according to a recent report from UK newspaper The Mirror.
Welcoming the new addition was reportedly a roller coaster day for all.
“It was an incredible and emotional day,” an insider said.
“Simon was by Lauren’s side the entire time from when he arrived. He admitted he was a little nervous before but when it came to it he was completely natural.”
Simon shared the inspiration for Eric’s traditional name via Twitter the day after he was born, boasting the newborn was “healthy and handsome”.
“Named after my dad… I never knew how much love and pride I would feel,” he continued.
Simon also thanked fans for their well-wishes.
