X Factor boss Simon Cowell describes impending fatherhood as 'surreal' after seeing baby scan

Father to be: Simon Cowell says seeing an ultrasound of his baby was 'surreal'

Simon Cowell has described the prospect of fatherhood as "surreal" after seeing a scan of his unborn child.

The X Factor mogul, who is expecting a baby with New Yorker Lauren Silverman, is back in the UK for the launch of the latest series of the singing talent show.

He told The Times: "I went to see a scan today and it is just surreal. You see this thing which is now alive moving around. So I am happy."

Cowell, who is also launching a new musical based on the X Factor called I Can't Sing, said the production was "funny" and "well-observed".

The musical, written by comic Harry Hill, is about a young woman who lives in a caravan with a talking dog and her grandfather and finds fame on an X-Factor- style show.

Hill, who was inspired to write the musical while watching the X Factor, got Cowell to agree to back the production after writing a rough outline and one song for it.

He said: "It's not the first ridiculous idea I have ever had but it's the first one where I've been able to persuade other people to do it."

PA