Why Simon Cowell tried therapy after years of depression

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by caroline blair

Aug 31, 2023 | 10:16am

Simon Cowell struggled with the idea of ​​therapy, but it ultimately worked “very well” in his battle with depression.

“I sat down with an appointment and was really embarrassed and said, ‘Look, I don’t know where to start,'” recalled the “America’s Got Talent” creator and judge with a laugh. Wednesday episode of Miller’s podcast “Men in Mind”.

Cowell, 63, explained that like “going to the gym,” you have to train your mind to think about therapy, and if it becomes a habit, you’ll understand.

“Within about 20 minutes, I felt like I knew.” [my therapist] 10 years, 20 years. He made me feel very safe. And you find yourself talking to professionals, and they don’t judge you, they listen to you. ” he raved.

The former “American Idol” judge confessed that he initially had the old-fashioned “don’t cry, be manly” mentality and that thought therapy was only for those who had “experienced considerable trauma,” He quickly learned: Asking for help “is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“We are not all made of steel, and sometimes in life you need someone to talk to,” he says.

Cowell embarked on a therapy journey after being “petrified” by COVID-19 and worsening depression.

“I’ve struggled with depression for years…but it’s just what I thought, ‘Well, that’s my personality trait.'” I get depressed’ and that’s what you deal with,’ he began.

But the pandemic was a “real trigger” for a music exec who felt uneasy after seeing a few friends “really sick.”

“So I thought, ‘God, if you figure this out, maybe the same thing will happen to me, Eric and Lauren,'” said Lauren Silverman, her 9-year-old son and longtime fiancée. he said, remembering “I didn’t know what was true or what was false. I had no clue except that I was frightened to catch it. It just petrified.”

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After spending most of 2020 in quarantine, Cowell struggled to return to the “real world.”

“Then, fortunately, I met friends who had benefited from therapy, and then I thought, ‘You know what? Over the years, I’ve managed my body pretty well through diet and exercise, but what have I done with my brain and mind? ‘ he shared.

Since then, the TV personality has become an advocate for therapy, telling others how it has “made a huge positive impact” on her life.

“I wish I had done this 10 or 20 years ago,” he added. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

“If you said to me, ‘Simon, we’re going to sit in your garden and talk about mental health,’ I would have thought, ‘Did I lose my mind or something?’ But I’m no expert, but in my own way, I’ve started to understand this more and do things for myself in positive ways for my mental health.”