The X Factor’s Emily Middlemas reveals Simon Cowell’s son Eric has ‘made him less scary’
Singer saw the music mogul as a bit of a father figure during her time on the ITV show
SIMON Cowell has well and truly lost his 'Mr Nasty' title since becoming a dad - according to Emily Middlemas.
The Scottish singer was eliminated from The X Factor on Sunday night after a tense sing-off with Matt Terry.
It meant her mentor Simon became the first judge to lose all of their acts in the competition, but Emily insists working with the 57-year-old during the show as not as scary as people might think.
Speaking to , she said: "I know a lot of people think he's scary, but I think having son Eric has changed that view of him.
"Everyone can see his softer side and he's not scary at all: just humble, truthful and an amazing dad."
Simon welcomed his little boy with partner Lauren Silverman on Valentine's Day in 2014, and previously admitted he is embarrassed by the Mr Nasty reputation he had built for himself thanks to his cutting comments on shows like Britain's Got Talent and American Idol.
Speaking about the American talent show, he told the New York Daily News: "To be honest I found that to be embarrassing.
"In real auditions you can't tell someone who is terrible that they're good and promise them that they're going to become a star.
"When we did the show, I would behave as I did in real life. I didn't take it too seriously when they were bad so I found most situations quite funny."
Meanwhile Emily, 18, loved every minute of being mentored by Simon, telling Closer he had become like a member of her family.
She said: "Simon's been amazing - he's almost like a fatherly figure.
"He really looks after me: he takes care of my health and makes sure that I'm eating OK.
"We were saying the other day that we think we get on so well because we're both a little crazy".
While Emily is disappointed she didn't make it to the live finals this weekend, she has had plenty of support from her family as well as boyfriend and fellow contestant Ryan Lawrie.
The 20-year-old was voted off the show two weeks before Emily's own departure, but took to social media on Sunday to share his pride in his girlfriends achievements on the show.
Emily said: "It was really difficult when Ryan left - I felt like I'd lost an arm!
"It didn't even feel like competition with him on the show - we just said: 'Let's see how far we can get together'.
"And even though there's more attention now we're in the public eye, we trust each other 100 per cent. He's the most loyal boyfriend."