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X Factor mogul Simon Cowell admits to being triskaidekaphobic

 

Robert de
Monday 12 August 2013 16:43 BST
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Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell

Superstitious Simon Cowell has revealed he is obsessed with the number 13.

The multimillionaire pop mogul said he counts his steps to avoid his unlucky number and said he would never get up on stage and sing because he would be too "embarrassed" and worried the footage would end up online.

Answering questions via Skype, Cowell said: "Everything with me is about numbers, so for some reason I'm always counting numbers in my head, so even if I walk up the stairs I'm counting how many steps and if it's 13 I make sure it's not going to be 13.

"The last number can't be 13 or it can't be 67 because six and seven equals 13 so I will walk an extra step. It's kind of a sign of madness actually."

The X Factor magnate recently came a far luckier joint first place with Howard Stern on Forbes' top ten highest-paid TV personalities in the US.

Cowell also revealed he had been stalked by fans at his home in Los Angeles with one asking whether she could move into his guesthouse and live "like a dog in a kennel".

He recalled: "I said, 'Why would you want to do that?', and she said, 'Because I know you love dogs'.

"Anyway I said no."

PA

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