Simon wants son to be called after him

Simon Cowell wants to call his son Simon.

He told Extra's Terri Seymour: "My number one choice is Simon because I like the name."

However, the 54-year-old star showed off his softer side by admitting his second choice was Eric in honour of his late father, who would have been "very proud" to have a grandson.

Simon added: "His birthday is going to be very close to my dad's birthday."

The 'X Factor' boss is hopeful his son will follow in his footsteps by taking over multi-million dollar music empire, allowing him to finally retire.

Discussing his child-rearing philosophy, Simon said: "Be cool about it. You know, don't worry about things too much. The way me and my brother were brought up, I mean, it was kind of relaxed. There were no self-help books or any of that crazy stuff."