Simon Cowell has made his first public appearance since the death of Liam Payne, after stepping away from Britain’s Got Talent following the news last week.
Payne died aged 31 after falling off a balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16.
Five days after the heartbreaking tragedy, Cowell, 65, attended the 2024 Pride of Britain Awards on Monday night. The father-of-one, who shares son Eric with partner Lauren Silverman, had earlier posted on Instagram saying he felt ’empty’ and ‘devastated’ by Payne’s death.
He understandably did not want to walk the red carpet, and instead headed straight to the ceremony held in London’s The Grosvenor House Hotel.
Cowell was at the event to pay tribute to his friend, Peter Willis, a journalist and former Mirror Editor who created the Pride of Britain Awards in 1999 to celebrate the nation’s unsung heroes.
The music mogul spoke on stage to celebrate Willis’ achievements.
Cowell’s appearance comes after he cancelled Britain’s Got Talent auditions.
Applause Store, who organised the tickets for BGT filming, said in a statement: ‘Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today’s auditions in Blackpool. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.’
The production began again on Saturday in Blackpool Winter Gardens, but without Cowell, who has decided to step away.
Bruno Tonioli has been brought in to cover. He was previously replaced by YouTuber KSI, due to his filming commitments with Dancing With The Stars in the US.
Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and guest judge KSI, who was hired as the temporary replacement for Tonioli, also continued with the programme.
Cowell first met Payne when he was 14 years old, and auditioned for The X Factor.
He made it to the Judges’ Houses stage with Cowell but was told to return in two years.
That is what he did in 2010, and this time Payne was placed into a band with Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Harry Styles, forming One Direction.
They finished in third position and were signed by Cowell’s label, Syco Entertainment. One Direction became one of the most successful boy bands in history, with hits including What Makes You Beautiful, Night Changes, and Steal My Girl.
The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016, as the singers all embarked on successful solo careers.
On Saturday, Cowell returned to social media with a tribute for Payne.
‘You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,’ he wrote.
‘Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.’
Cowell described Payne as ‘kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused’.
‘I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn’t your time. And we both made a promise that we would meet again,’ Cowell recalled.
‘A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t. You came back and within months the whole world knew Liam. And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared.’
Cowell added that they’d recently reminisced about fun times they’d shared. He also said his seven-year-old son, Bear had a ‘twinkle in his eye that you have’.
He concluded: ‘Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty.’
Payne previously credited Cowell for helping his romance with Cheryl, who recently shared her own statement, begin to blossom. The pair dated for two years from 2016 and welcomed Bear into the world together.
‘I went to Simon’s house and made a joke about how hot Cheryl was. Simon was like, “I know who’s going to be the next Mrs Payne!’ he said on the Straight Talking with Ant Middleton podcast.
‘Then I was in a bar and Niall came in and told me that Cheryl liked me. I was like “Cheryl? Cheryl?” Niall was in Simon’s dressing room, Simon said my name, she went red and left.’
Payne’s autopsy is still taking place but several sources have informed various outlets that several drugs were found in the singer’s system at the time of his death.
The late star was staying at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and local police are currently investigating his death.
Metro.co.uk has contacted The Pride of Britain Awards organisers for comment
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