Simon Cowell Rushes to Aid Boaters in Distress

Sean Mathis/FilmMagic/Getty Images

"X-Factor" judge and entertainment mogul Simon Cowell reportedly helped rescue nine people who were on yacht that was taking on water off St. Tropez, a tony vacation spot in the south of France.

Cowell, 52, was relaxing in the area on his yacht, accompanied by his ex-girlfriend, the singer Sinitta, when he heard the distress call, the London Evening Standard reported.

Sinitta tweeted the Aug. 29 encounter: "OMG!! Just had a May Day message , 35 ft boat sinking.. SC has sent us to help and rescue 9 people on board! Slipstream look alike boat," she wrote, adding a short while later: "Everyone ok, noone hurt.captain won't let boat sink, petrol in sea etc would cause major problems and fines. No tide, so hole plugged."

Cowell, a former judge on "American Idol," is not the only A-lister to spring into action to help someone else. Heartthrob actor Ryan Gosling made headlines in April when he stopped an inattentive pedestrian from walking into traffic in Manhattan.

And "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence went to the aid of a woman who was passed out near the star's Santa Monica, Calif., apartment in June.