Does Simon Cowell Have a New Leading Lady?
Carmen Electra joins Terri Seymour and more.
Sept. 26, 2012— -- intro: Watch out George Clooney: Simon Cowell could steal your title as Hollywood's biggest bachelor.
The reality and music mogul, who has dated a host of beautiful women, appears to have a new one -- "Baywatch" actress Carmen Electra.
The pair were photographed Sunday night following a dinner at Cecconi's restaurant in West Hollywood. Calif. While Carmen, 40, a former member of the Pussycat Dolls, smiled for the cameras, Cowell, 53, kept his eyes -- and one protective hand -- on Carmen.
Rumors of sparks flying between the two first surfaced in February after Cowell hired Carmen to serve as a guest judge on his "Britain's Got Talent." During one audition, when Carmen professed she was "distracted" by Cowell's shirt, fellow judge David Walliams snapped, "Stop looking at him, look at the act on stage."
Apparently, Carmen wasn't the only one distracted. The former Playboy Playmate tweeted a picture of her seated next to Cowell with the words, "Eyes up here @simoncowell ;)."
Like Clooney, Cowell has never married, but he's had no shortage of women either. A recent unauthorized biography, "Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell" by writer Tom Bowers, lifted the covers on his romantic life. Cowell, who spoke to Bowers during the writing of the book, gave his tacit approval by showing up at the book launch party in April.
"I said to Tom right from the beginning, 'I'm not going to lie to you,' and that was the deal. Not to say, it hasn't all been a bit embarrassing," Cowell told a reporter for The Telegraph at the party.
Now that all has been revealed, click through to see some of the other women in Cowell's life.
quicklist: 1title: Sinitta text: British singer Sinitta Renet Malone, who goes only by the name Sinitta, had a 20-year, on-off relationship with Cowell, beginning in the early '80s, when he helped make her a pop star, signing her as the first act to his nascent label. Back then she was the big star, and photographers would ask him to get out of the way. Now the tables have turned and Cowell, who has remained close to 48-year-old Sinitta (he's the godfather to her two children), has hired her to be a mentor on his show "The X Factor." Asked why he never married, Sinitta told the U.K.'s Daily Mail in 2008, "'If Simon were to marry, he couldn't be the kid."media: 17322114
quicklist: 2title: Terri Seymourtext: Cowell got a little closer to marriage with English TV host Terri Seymour, whom he lived with from 2002 to 2008. Now a correspondent for "Extra" and "American Idol," Seymour, 38, reportedly dumped him, but the two have stayed friends. She remained in their old home while he had a new one built for her. "It's not alimony. It's, I believe, doing the right thing," Cowell told the Guardian in 2011, about the way he treats his exes. "That comes back to me wanting them to be happy; you just can't do it too many times." media: 17322155
quicklist: 3title: Mezhgan Hussainytext: Cowell got his closest to marriage yet with ex-fiance Mezhgan Hussainy. He met the beautiful Afghan make-up artist on the set of "American Idol," and they became engaged in February 2010. The couple quietly separated in 2012. In his book, Bowers writes that their stormy relationship was what finally put Cowell off. As a parting gift to Hussainy, he gave her a home worth 5 million British pounds.media: 17322292
quicklist: 4title: Dannii Minoguetext: One of the revelations in Bowers' book was that Cowell had an affair with Australian singer and fellow British "X Factor" judge Dannii Minogue. Minogue, 40, worked with Cowell on the show from 2007 to 2010. In the book, Cowell says, "It was Dannii's hair, the sexy clothes, and the t**s. I was like a schoolboy. She was foxy. She was a real man's girl. Very feminine. It was genuine love." After his decision to kiss and tell, Cowell told the Telegraph that Minogue stopped speaking to him. "I haven't been able to get her to speak to me directly," he said. "I've been in touch with her through intermediaries. She's fine, I think, and, hopefully, we're OK."
Months after the revelation was first published, Minogue finally commented to Glamour magazine, "I haven't read the book, but I've been told about the excerpts that relate to me, and the speculation about my private life. From what's been reported they put hundreds of hours into making this book, and Tom is a respected journalist. I'm sure it makes for a great read, and I wish them all the best," she said.media: 17322231