Lauren Cowell Opens Up About Life with Simon & Why She Changed Her Name (Exclusive)

The incredibly private Lauren Cowell is stepping into the spotlight!

Fans are getting an inside look at her private life with Simon Cowell and their son Eric in the new Netflix docuseries "Simon Cowell: The Next Act.” 

While the doc focuses on Simon’s quest to find singing superstars and build a boy band like his famous One Direction, fans will also get to know Lauren and Eric.

Lauren sat down for her only interview with good friend Terri Seymour for "Extra," sharing a glimpse into her home life as Simon and Eric, 11, tried to make a cameo!

Terri teased, “People get to see and understand what you have to put up with on a daily basis."

Lauren agreed, “Yeah, it’s a lot,” joking, “Simon on his own is bad enough, but now to have Eric as his little sidekick — it's just diabolical.”

As for the docuseries, Simon surprised Lauren with the camera crew only two days before filming… and she was not into it!

“Let's just set the record straight, though... I didn't have a choice,” she said. "The cameras were here, and they were here for two years. I would have had to move out of the house!”

Simon chimed in, “Lauren is gold, she’s funny right?” Lauren joked, “I’m a little bit drama,” as Simon teased, “A little bit.”

Terri wondered, “Are you feeling nervous?” Lauren confessed, “I am.” 

Simon put it this way, “Of course, because it’s taken so long and it’s different, of course. I’m nervous… Look, we had highs and lows… but we got closer doing it.”

Lauren agreed, saying, “We got closer.”

They got close enough that after over a decade together and being engaged since 2021, Lauren changed her last name to Cowell.

Terri asked, “So, Mrs. Cowell, why was now quite the time to change your name?"

She explained, “It just felt right for me at that time having the same name as Eric and Simon. It just felt like that was a really, really nice thing to do for our family and to kind of solidify us as a unit.”

Does that mean wedding bells could be ringing soon?

Terri asked, “So, will I need to be buying a hat anytime soon?”

Lauren answered, "You mean like for a wedding? Is that what that means?”

Terri teased, “No, I mean for a funeral…”

Lauren joked, "Well, who knows which one is going to happen first at the rate we're going?”

Meanwhile, the docuseries will pull the curtain back on some personal moments between the couple, including a disagreement over Simon not wanting to fly back to New York for his stepson Adam’s graduation. 

Lauren explained, "Simon has a little bit of social anxiety… Sometimes, being in situations that are, like, a little unfamiliar to him or out of his comfort zone, he gets a little worked up.”

But Simon and Adam are close and it is one big happy family.

Lauren said, It’s really sweet. They have such a beautiful relationship… I think Adam maybe looks at Simon as maybe a mentor in a way. And I know Adam goes to him for advice a lot."

She added, “I think Adam and Simon have developed a really, really nice bond.”

And Lauren has always had Simon's back. She was by his side in 2020 after he suffered a horrific bike accident that left him needing a six-hour surgery that left Lauren "terrified.”

She recalled, “That night, just not knowing, not knowing if he was ever going to walk again… The doctor asked me if it was okay to do the back surgery… What if this was the wrong decision…? It was a really, really scary night.” 

He's since made a full recovery.  Lauren reflected on their journey, sharing, "I think I'm really proud of where we started and how we started, and where we've ended up. God willing, we have a long way to go and a long life together.”