Simon Cowell: I let down a friend over Lauren Silverman affair

Simon Cowell has admitted that he 'let down' friend Andrew Silverman by having an affair with his wife Lauren - who is now expecting his child.

Speaking after Andrew's divorce from Lauren was finalised, ending their 10-year marriage, the mogul confessed he 'felt bad' about what he had done.

However he added: "But the good thing is I'm having a baby and I never thought I would."

Simon revealed that news of Lauren's pregnancy 'totally changed everything' - bringing him out of a low period in his life.

“I just wasn’t myself and I couldn’t get out of it. And then the baby happened. It was like coming out of a fog, that’s the only way I can describe it," he said.

"I thought, ‘stop feeling sorry for yourself, you’ve got nothing to feel bad about’. It was only the circumstances that were problematic.

Lauren is due to give birth to his son in February.

Meanwhile speculation continues to mount over Simon making a possible return to The X Factor's UK panel in 2014.

He recently hinted: "I will be back at some point. I still miss that, I mean that show is my baby and that last year we did which was the One Direction year was the most fun I’ve had – it was fantastic."