Simon Cowell made the bold decision to stop using a mobile phone nearly a decade ago.
Lauren Cowell, the 66-year-old Britain's Got Talent judge's fiancée, has opened up about her partner's choice to do away with the tech during a recent appearance on This Morning to speak about the Raise the Age campaign.
Raise The Age is a campaign brand of Health Professionals for Safer Screens Limited and other groups working towards legislation to make technology safe for children.
Lauren, 48, explained that Simon was 'ahead of the curve' after doing away with his phone eight years back - a choice which has made him far 'happier' than constantly being glued to it.
Simon Cowell stopped using his mobile phone eight years ago (John Parra/WireImage) "The difference that it has made on him in a positive way, it’s been extraordinary," she explained, adding that the decision has allowed him to reduce 'distractions and the noise'.
"That pull that we all inevitably have when you've got a phone sitting next to you which is constantly just going off and there's notifications coming in and there's all kinds of things that are pulling you into that," she continued.
"I think by not having it, it has just eliminated all that for him, which has been really, really positive."
Elsewhere in the segment, Lauren shared that she and Simon's 12-year-old son, Eric, is completely banned from using social media.
"In terms of having a phone, he does have — I guess you could call it a brick phone," she explained. "It's a smartphone in the sense that it's like an Apple phone, but there's nothing on it. "It's completely shut down, so he can text and WhatsApp, but that's it."
Simon and Lauren, who have been together since 2013, welcomed their son Eric in 2014 (Dave Benett / Contributor / Getty Images) Simon himself has previously addressed his choice to go analogue during an interview with YouTuber Evan Carmichael which aired in July of last year.
He explained that while he does own a phone, he rarely keeps it on him, with the handheld device often remaining unused in his car.
"I hate them so much," Cowell confessed at the time. "I think they're boring. For me, I think it's like having a toaster with you all the time… It's like, toast is nice, and occasionally a telephone call is nice, but not all the bloody time."
He also added that he didn't initially intend to go several years without using a smartphone.
At first, he just took a short break before quickly realising he was way 'happier' without it and even 'started to dread' switching it back on.
Simon and Lauren have been an item since 2013 before welcoming Eric in 2014.
The pair got engaged in 2021 but are yet to get married, with Lauren deciding to go by 'Lauren Cowell'.