Simon Cowell is proud to be a dad!
The America’s Got Talent judge, 65, shared a glimpse of fatherhood with rare photos of his 11-year-old son Eric on Instagram on Sunday, May 11 as he and the near-teenager enjoyed the beautiful weather with their pup.
Cowell shared three photos in the post, starting off with a solo shot of Eric, who he shares with fiancée Lauren Silverman, and the family’s dog, which he described in the caption as “Love.”
In the second slide of the post, Cowell posed with his arms wrapped around his son’s shoulders as their dog stood in front of them. “Even more love,” was his description for the second shot.
In the third photo, Eric and Cowell bent down to pose with their dog, who had its tongue out, as Cowell said in the caption, “It was a long walk.”
Simon Cowell/Instagram
Simon Cowell’s 11-year-old son Eric
Cowell and Silverman, 47, welcomed Eric, their first child together, on Valentine’s Day in 2014. Last year, Cowell opened up about how becoming a father changed his life on an episode of the Diary of a CEO podcast.
Recalling the “downward spiral” he was on that only worsened after his mother’s death, Cowell said that when Silverman told him she was pregnant, “it changed everything in my life” and “made me happy again.”
Cowell said that “without question,” his son saved him.
“I really, really had reached the point where nothing mattered. Even to the point that I almost can’t remember everything from that period,” he recalled.
Simon Cowell/Instagram
Simon Cowell and his son Eric
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It hit me so hard, the hardest thing also was being on television as well … I felt like a clown here because I’m dying inside,” he recalled. “The whole time was dark. I can absolutely relate to when people reach the lowest levels you possibly can, where essentially being alive doesn’t matter anymore, because you just go, ‘Well, what have I got to live for?’ “
Since then, Cowell has been open about his adoration for fatherhood and life with Eric, often bringing his son along to America’s Got Talent tapings.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2023, Cowell shared how he loves seeing his son get “excited” during the live tapings of AGT.
“He’s a great barometer,” he said of Eric. “I look over to look at him, ‘Is he having a good time?’ And he was having a really good time when he’s up on his seat, excited. [It] is the best thing, because with kids, it’s all unfiltered.”
Read the original article on People