Latest news with #SimonCowell
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Simon Cowell's pal Lucy Spraggan reveals he also considered signing up for SAS: Who Dares Wins but she had to warn him off tough series due to health concerns
Simon Cowell 's close pal Lucy Spraggan says the music mogul considered signing up for Channel 4 's SAS: Who Dares Wins - but she told him he has 'no chance'. The former X Factor frontman may live a life of luxury, but it seems he wanted to show just how tough he is. Simon, 65, was pleased to hear that Lucy had been in talks for the series, where it puts celebs through their paces as they take on different intense challenges. Lucy - who has grown close to Simon since starring on The X Factor in 2012 - said how the entertainment mogul thought it would be a 'great idea' for her to do the show as she loves being outdoors and they often enjoy shooting air rifles together. And he was so thrilled for her that he reportedly said he'll 'maybe try and have a go at it'. Lucy told The Sun: 'I was like, "You would literally die!" It was funny because it really contextualised how hard it was that I just straight away said to him, "You would have no chance".' The new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins, which begins next Sunday at 9pm, sees Simon give Lucy a pep talk, but it doesn't end well. Her friendship with Simon is better than ever, and last year he even walked her down the aisle during her star-studded wedding to girlfriend Emilia Smith. 'It was really strange,' Lucy laughed. 'It's a high stress environment and I looked to the side and saw him, like this is weird! 'But he was here and Lauren [Silverman] was there.' In recent months, Simon has been working on launching a new talent show. The show titled The Next Act follows Cowell on a mission to find the next global boyband in the vein of One Direction, and is due to stream on Netflix in the coming months. While Netflix is yet to commission the second series, it is thought he is keen to capitalise on the buzz and is already eyeing a second series - this time focusing on up-and-coming girl groups. A source told the publication: 'There's huge amount of excitement around the boyband search show dropping on Netflix, which is expected to drop later this year. 'So it makes sense to consider a sequel with a similar concept but looking for the female equivalent. 'And if anyone can do it, it's Simon. After all, through One Direction and Little Mix, he helped deliver two of the biggest pop acts of the last two decades.' The Next Act is thought to air over six episodes, where viewers will see nationwide open auditions, exclusive behind-the-scenes access and the release of the group's debut single.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Simon Cowell wanted to join Channel 4 reality show but backed out over health warning, says pal
DON'T let the high-waisted jeans, tinted specs or luxury lifestyle fool you – Simon Cowell reckons he's a real tough guy at heart. In fact, the music mogul even considered signing up for Channel 4's extreme challenge show, SAS: Who Dares Wins, according to his pal Lucy Spraggan. Advertisement 7 Lucy Spraggan has signed up to SAS: Who Dares Wins Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 7 Show line-up from left to right: Bimini, Chloe Burrows, Adam Collard, Lady Leshurr, Conor Benn, Hannah Spearitt, Troy Deeney, Tasha Ghouri, Harry Clark, Rebecca Loos, Louie Spence, Michaella McCollum, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Lucy Spraggan Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 Singer Lucy, who has grown close to Simon since starring on The X Factor in 2012, warned him off the idea — then joined the line-up herself. She said: 'He thought it was a great idea, me doing the show. 'He knows I love being outdoors. We do a lot of shooting air rifles and stuff together, so he knows this is my thing, testing my mental resilience. 'It was just funny because he had said, 'Oh, maybe I'll try and have a go at it'. Advertisement Read more on Simon Cowell 'I was like, 'Simon, you would literally die!'. It was funny because it really contextualised how hard it was that I just straight away said to him, 'You would have no chance'. 'But Lauren [Silverman, Cowell's wife], I said to her at dinner the other day, 'You should have a go'. She could do it, it would be funny.' Simon, right, and Lucy have become such good pals, he walked her down the aisle at her wedding to Emilia Smith last summer. The new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins, which begins next Sunday at 9pm, sees Simon dial in to give Lucy a pep talk — but it doesn't end well. Advertisement Most read in News TV She said: 'The DS [directing staff] hung up on him and he was like, 'I've never been so angry'.' Lucy's not the only celebrity recruit with reality TV experience. Simon Cowell set to launch ANOTHER TV talent contest amid 'huge excitement' around his Netflix boyband search show But ex-military man and winner of The Traitors, Harry Clark, seems to have his shows mixed up, as he is rumbled cheating in physical tasks. Lead instructor Advertisement Harry said: 'That's when I was the most scared. I was like, 'I've let the Army down. I've definitely let every-one at home down, and I've let myself down'. 'But I was in so much pain with my body and my feet. I remember my big toe, it was infected.' Apart from the shame, Harry wasn't phased being bawled at by instructors. He said: 'That didn't really bother me. I was in the Army since I was 16, so it wasn't really any different.' Advertisement Perhaps Simon thought the same after all those X Factor bootcamps. 7 Simon Cowell considered signing up for Channel 4's extreme challenge show Credit: Rex LOUIE IN PORNO FANTASY 7 Louie Spence reveals why he couldn't take the former special forces soldiers seriously Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 Advertisement The former dancer reveals he couldn't take the former special forces soldiers seriously because he felt like he was in a gay porn movie. Louie, who battled to keep a straight face, said: 'I'm sorry, I couldn't get it out of my mind – as soon as I had to put this hood on and could see these black boots walking along, before they pull that hood off and say: 'What's your name?' 'I was thinking, God, this is like a gay fantasy porno. It's like you're in the Army now, you've been a naughty boy. 'I couldn't get it out of my mind, just expecting the DS to strip. I thought, 'This isn't good'.' Advertisement ALL GO, CHLOE 7 Former Love Island bombshell Chloe Burrows Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 SHE'S taken on her fair share of reality shows, but nothing could have prepared The former Love Island bombshell thought she'd get a break from the gruelling regime during filming so was stunned to discover it's so full-on, they have medics on stand-by. Advertisement 'It was a complete culture shock. I've worked on other shows before . . . you do get a bit of respite. 'Even when I've done Scared Of The Dark, and Inside, where you are filmed 24/7, you do get a little bit of relaxing time – you know, a bit of a moment to yourself. 'But there was no break. Like, honestly, you were on, on, on all day. It was a lot, to be honest.' WHAT A GAS, MIC 7 Michaella McCollum took on the dreaded gas chamber challenge Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 Advertisement AFTER taking on the dreaded gas chamber challenge, The single mum who got But she said: 'You know what, I would probably do that one again even though I messed it up. 'I got the hostage to the window and then I jumped out the window. [DS] Foxy was like, 'What the f*** are you doing? Your job is to save the hostage and then yourself.' Advertisement 'The gas was awful. You cannot breathe. Your eyes are exploding. "There's just snot coming from your nose, your eyes, everything. You feel like you're dying. It's horrific. 'But if we had to do that challenge again, I'd have done it and saved the hostage.' BOXER Conor Benn and ex-footballer Advertisement The pair, above, had to fight each other during the course and were roughed up from other challenges, too. 7 Boxer Conor Benn and ex-footballer Troy Deeney Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 For one test, Conor had to jump backward off a viaduct in the Welsh hills but his harness was so tight he was left squirming. 'I lost my left testicle,' he joked. 'I'm still looking for it, which is not very good seeing as my missus wants more kids. Advertisement ' I don't know how much luck we'll have with that now. 'That was more painful than being punched in the head for a living.' Meanwhile Troy sported his injuries as he wed partner Alisha after returning from filming. He said: 'She wasn't too happy I turned up with a black eye.' Advertisement HARDMAN Chief Instructor He said: 'With the world being as unstable as it is, we may all be called to the battlefield, to defend. "These celebrities are going to get an understanding of what that feels like.' COMPLETING the line-up are former footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa, Love Islanders Tasha Ghouri and Adam Collard, S Club 7's Hannah Spearritt, glamour girl Rebecca Loos, drag queen Bimini and musician Advertisement
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Simon Cowell wanted to join Channel 4 reality show but backed out over health warning, says pal
Singer who has grown close to Simon warned him off the idea SI'S HUSTLE Simon Cowell wanted to join Channel 4 reality show but backed out over health warning, says pal Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DON'T let the high-waisted jeans, tinted specs or luxury lifestyle fool you – Simon Cowell reckons he's a real tough guy at heart. In fact, the music mogul even considered signing up for Channel 4's extreme challenge show, SAS: Who Dares Wins, according to his pal Lucy Spraggan. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 Lucy Spraggan has signed up to SAS: Who Dares Wins Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 7 Show line-up from left to right: Bimini, Chloe Burrows, Adam Collard, Lady Leshurr, Conor Benn, Hannah Spearitt, Troy Deeney, Tasha Ghouri, Harry Clark, Rebecca Loos, Louie Spence, Michaella McCollum, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Lucy Spraggan Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 Singer Lucy, who has grown close to Simon since starring on The X Factor in 2012, warned him off the idea — then joined the line-up herself. She said: 'He thought it was a great idea, me doing the show. 'He knows I love being outdoors. We do a lot of shooting air rifles and stuff together, so he knows this is my thing, testing my mental resilience. 'It was just funny because he had said, 'Oh, maybe I'll try and have a go at it'. 'I was like, 'Simon, you would literally die!'. It was funny because it really contextualised how hard it was that I just straight away said to him, 'You would have no chance'. 'But Lauren [Silverman, Cowell's wife], I said to her at dinner the other day, 'You should have a go'. She could do it, it would be funny.' Simon, right, and Lucy have become such good pals, he walked her down the aisle at her wedding to Emilia Smith last summer. The new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins, which begins next Sunday at 9pm, sees Simon dial in to give Lucy a pep talk — but it doesn't end well. She said: 'The DS [directing staff] hung up on him and he was like, 'I've never been so angry'.' Lucy's not the only celebrity recruit with reality TV experience. Simon Cowell set to launch ANOTHER TV talent contest amid 'huge excitement' around his Netflix boyband search show But ex-military man and winner of The Traitors, Harry Clark, seems to have his shows mixed up, as he is rumbled cheating in physical tasks. Lead instructor Billy Billingham rages: 'His integrity and honesty stinks, he's playing us.' Harry said: 'That's when I was the most scared. I was like, 'I've let the Army down. I've definitely let every-one at home down, and I've let myself down'. 'But I was in so much pain with my body and my feet. I remember my big toe, it was infected.' Apart from the shame, Harry wasn't phased being bawled at by instructors. He said: 'That didn't really bother me. I was in the Army since I was 16, so it wasn't really any different.' Perhaps Simon thought the same after all those X Factor bootcamps. 7 Simon Cowell considered signing up for Channel 4's extreme challenge show Credit: Rex LOUIE IN PORNO FANTASY 7 Louie Spence reveals why he couldn't take the former special forces soldiers seriously Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 LOUIE SPENCE lasted less than 24 hours on the course – but it wasn't the hard graft that put him off. The former dancer reveals he couldn't take the former special forces soldiers seriously because he felt like he was in a gay porn movie. Louie, who battled to keep a straight face, said: 'I'm sorry, I couldn't get it out of my mind – as soon as I had to put this hood on and could see these black boots walking along, before they pull that hood off and say: 'What's your name?' 'I was thinking, God, this is like a gay fantasy porno. It's like you're in the Army now, you've been a naughty boy. 'I couldn't get it out of my mind, just expecting the DS to strip. I thought, 'This isn't good'.' ALL GO, CHLOE 7 Former Love Island bombshell Chloe Burrows Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 SHE'S taken on her fair share of reality shows, but nothing could have prepared Chloe Burrows for her SAS stint. The former Love Island bombshell thought she'd get a break from the gruelling regime during filming so was stunned to discover it's so full-on, they have medics on stand-by. Chloe said: 'We had the meeting before and it was like, 'Yeah, there's going to be an ambulance crew within a kilometre, they've dealt with saving lives'. And I was thinking, 'Oh, my God . . . '. I did go in a bit naive. 'It was a complete culture shock. I've worked on other shows before . . . you do get a bit of respite. 'Even when I've done Scared Of The Dark, and Inside, where you are filmed 24/7, you do get a little bit of relaxing time – you know, a bit of a moment to yourself. 'But there was no break. Like, honestly, you were on, on, on all day. It was a lot, to be honest.' WHAT A GAS, MIC 7 Michaella McCollum took on the dreaded gas chamber challenge Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 AFTER taking on the dreaded gas chamber challenge, Michaella McCollum reckons she would be up for more of the same. The single mum who got jailed in Peru for smuggling cocaine, was meant to rescue a hostage trapped inside, and saved herself instead. But she said: 'You know what, I would probably do that one again even though I messed it up. 'I got the hostage to the window and then I jumped out the window. [DS] Foxy was like, 'What the f*** are you doing? Your job is to save the hostage and then yourself.' 'The gas was awful. You cannot breathe. Your eyes are exploding. "There's just snot coming from your nose, your eyes, everything. You feel like you're dying. It's horrific. 'But if we had to do that challenge again, I'd have done it and saved the hostage.' BOXER Conor Benn and ex-footballer Troy Deeney were left battered and bruised – to the horror of their wives. The pair, above, had to fight each other during the course and were roughed up from other challenges, too. 7 Boxer Conor Benn and ex-footballer Troy Deeney Credit: Pete Dadds / Channel 4 For one test, Conor had to jump backward off a viaduct in the Welsh hills but his harness was so tight he was left squirming. 'I lost my left testicle,' he joked. 'I'm still looking for it, which is not very good seeing as my missus wants more kids. ' I don't know how much luck we'll have with that now. 'That was more painful than being punched in the head for a living.' Meanwhile Troy sported his injuries as he wed partner Alisha after returning from filming. He said: 'She wasn't too happy I turned up with a black eye.' HARDMAN Chief Instructor Billy Billingham reckons the show will be a wake-up for the celebrities. He said: 'With the world being as unstable as it is, we may all be called to the battlefield, to defend. "These celebrities are going to get an understanding of what that feels like.' COMPLETING the line-up are former footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa, Love Islanders Tasha Ghouri and Adam Collard, S Club 7's Hannah Spearritt, glamour girl Rebecca Loos, drag queen Bimini and musician Lady Leshurr.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Simon Cowell wanted to join Channel 4 reality show but backed out over health warning, says pal
DON'T let the high-waisted jeans, tinted specs or luxury lifestyle fool you – Simon Cowell reckons he's a real tough guy at heart. In fact, the music mogul even considered signing up for Channel 4's extreme challenge show, SAS: Who Dares Wins, according to his pal Lucy Spraggan. 7 7 Singer Lucy, who has grown close to Simon since starring on The X Factor in 2012, warned him off the idea — then joined the line-up herself. She said: 'He thought it was a great idea, me doing the show. 'He knows I love being outdoors. We do a lot of shooting air rifles and stuff together, so he knows this is my thing, testing my mental resilience. 'It was just funny because he had said, 'Oh, maybe I'll try and have a go at it'. 'I was like, ' Simon, you would literally die!'. It was funny because it really contextualised how hard it was that I just straight away said to him, 'You would have no chance'. 'But Lauren [Silverman, Cowell's wife], I said to her at dinner the other day, 'You should have a go'. She could do it, it would be funny.' Simon, right, and Lucy have become such good pals, he walked her down the aisle at her wedding to Emilia Smith last summer. The new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins, which begins next Sunday at 9pm, sees Simon dial in to give Lucy a pep talk — but it doesn't end well. She said: 'The DS [directing staff] hung up on him and he was like, 'I've never been so angry'.' Lucy's not the only celebrity recruit with reality TV experience. But ex-military man and winner of The Traitors, Harry Clark, seems to have his shows mixed up, as he is rumbled cheating in physical tasks. Lead instructor Billy Billingham rages: 'His integrity and honesty stinks, he's playing us.' Harry said: 'That's when I was the most scared. I was like, 'I've let the Army down. I've definitely let every-one at home down, and I've let myself down'. 'But I was in so much pain with my body and my feet. I remember my big toe, it was infected.' Apart from the shame, Harry wasn't phased being bawled at by instructors. He said: 'That didn't really bother me. I was in the Army since I was 16, so it wasn't really any different.' Perhaps Simon thought the same after all those X Factor bootcamps. 7 LOUIE IN PORNO FANTASY LOUIE SPENCE lasted less than 24 hours on the course – but it wasn't the hard graft that put him off. The former dancer reveals he couldn't take the former special forces soldiers seriously because he felt like he was in a gay porn movie. Louie, who battled to keep a straight face, said: 'I'm sorry, I couldn't get it out of my mind – as soon as I had to put this hood on and could see these black boots walking along, before they pull that hood off and say: 'What's your name?' 'I was thinking, God, this is like a gay fantasy porno. It's like you're in the Army now, you've been a naughty boy. 'I couldn't get it out of my mind, just expecting the DS to strip. I thought, 'This isn't good'.' ALL GO, CHLOE SHE'S taken on her fair share of reality shows, but nothing could have prepared Chloe Burrows for her SAS stint. The former Love Island bombshell thought she'd get a break from the gruelling regime during filming so was stunned to discover it's so full-on, they have medics on stand-by. Chloe said: 'We had the meeting before and it was like, 'Yeah, there's going to be an ambulance crew within a kilometre, they've dealt with saving lives'. And I was thinking, 'Oh, my God . . . '. I did go in a bit naive. 'It was a complete culture shock. I've worked on other shows before . . . you do get a bit of respite. 'Even when I've done Scared Of The Dark, and Inside, where you are filmed 24/7, you do get a little bit of relaxing time – you know, a bit of a moment to yourself. 'But there was no break. Like, honestly, you were on, on, on all day. It was a lot, to be honest.' WHAT A GAS, MIC AFTER taking on the dreaded gas chamber challenge, Michaella McCollum reckons she would be up for more of the same. The single mum who got jailed in Peru for smuggling cocaine, was meant to rescue a hostage trapped inside, and saved herself instead. But she said: 'You know what, I would probably do that one again even though I messed it up. 'I got the hostage to the window and then I jumped out the window. [DS] Foxy was like, 'What the f*** are you doing? Your job is to save the hostage and then yourself.' 'The gas was awful. You cannot breathe. Your eyes are exploding. "There's just snot coming from your nose, your eyes, everything. You feel like you're dying. It's horrific. 'But if we had to do that challenge again, I'd have done it and saved the hostage.' BOXER Conor Benn and ex-footballer Troy Deeney were left battered and bruised – to the horror of their wives. The pair, above, had to fight each other during the course and were roughed up from other challenges, too. 7 For one test, Conor had to jump backward off a viaduct in the Welsh hills but his harness was so tight he was left squirming. 'I lost my left testicle,' he joked. 'I'm still looking for it, which is not very good seeing as my missus wants more kids. ' I don't know how much luck we'll have with that now. 'That was more painful than being punched in the head for a living.' Meanwhile Troy sported his injuries as he wed partner Alisha after returning from filming. He said: 'She wasn't too happy I turned up with a black eye.' HARDMAN Chief Instructor Billy Billingham reckons the show will be a wake-up for the celebrities. He said: 'With the world being as unstable as it is, we may all be called to the battlefield, to defend. "These celebrities are going to get an understanding of what that feels like.' Tasha Ghouri and Adam Collard, S Club 7's Hannah Spearritt, glamour girl Rebecca Loos, drag queen Bimini and musician Lady Leshurr.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
X Factor winner Megan McKenna reveals Simon Cowell called her personally to reveal she no longer had a record deal
Megan now lives in Germany with her husband Oliver Burke and son Landon SIMON SAYS X Factor winner Megan McKenna reveals Simon Cowell called her personally to reveal she no longer had a record deal Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MEGAN McKenna got her big break in the music industry back in 2019 when she won The X Factor: Celebrity. After taking home the crown, the 32-year-old bagged herself a record deal with Simon Cowell's music label Syco. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Megan McKenna has revealed Simon Cowell called her personally to tell her about her no longer having a record deal Credit: Rex Features 4 The reality star says she has a good relationship with the music mogul Credit: ITV 4 Megan won The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 Credit: Rex Features However, just a year later, the record deal collapsed and now Megan has revealed that the music mogul called her personally to tell her the heartbreaking news. She told The Mirror: 'The label shut down after I won, so it was pretty hard. It was tough because I'd worked so, so hard. But Simon and I had a nice relationship. 'He actually rang me – which was crazy, because it's not every day Simon Cowell rings you – to say that the label was closing down. 'He was really nice about it and said, 'I'm sorry, but you need to find a new home.' But it's not an easy thing to do.' The former TOWIE star didn't end up signing to another music label and instead she released new music independently back in 2022. Although she still performs at gigs, music isn't at the forefront of Megan's life, as she is now a mum to her son Landon, who was born last year. She and her husband Oliver Burke tied the knot in a lavish ceremony this Summer at Grantley Hall in North Yorkshire in front of their loves ones. The family-of-three now reside in Berlin, Germany as Oliver is signed to a football team out there, but Megan is still back and forth to London for career opportunities and to see her family. Prior to appearing on The X Factor, the mum-of-one released her debut album Story Of Me in 2018, under the label FrtyFve. The album ended up charting at number five in the UK country charts and allowed people to take her seriously in the music industry. Megan McKenna shows off incredible post baby body in bikini just six months after giving birth and hitting back at mum-shamers While appearing on the reality competition series, Megan was able to perform her original music and blew away judges Simon, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger. She beat off stiff competition from the likes of Max and Harvey, The Chase star Jenny Ryan and Love Island alumni Eyal Booker, Samira Mighty, Zara McDermott and Wes Nelson. The public voted the reality star as the winner with a whopping 46.3% of the vote and she went on to release her own song This, which she performed on the final. The X Factor isn't the only show that Megan made a mark on as she made it to the final three on Celebrity Masterchef back in 2021. She was praised for her gluten-free recipes and her success on the show led to her returning for a Christmas special the following year, which she ended up winning. Megan subsequently released two cookbooks, Can You Make That Gluten Free? In 2021 and Love Gluten Free in March this year. Megan McKenna's TV Timeline Since her debut on Ex On The Beach, Megan has rarely been away from TV screens. Can you remember all the shows she has appeared on? 2009 - Britain's Got Talent, series 3 - ITV 2015-2016 - Ex On The Beach, series 3-4 - MTV 2016 - Celebrity Big Brother, series 17 - Channel 5 2016-2017 - The Only Way Is Essex, series 17-21 - ITVBe 2017 - There's Something About Megan - ITVBe 2018 - Celebs On The Farm, series 1 - Channel 5 2019 - Celebs Go Dating, series 6 - E4 2019 - The X Factor: Celebrity - ITV 2021 - Celebrity MasterChef - BBC One 2022 - Celebrity MasterChef: Festive Extravaganza - BBC One
