Summary

Famed for his unflinching honesty and shocking insults, Simon Cowell is no stranger to controversy.

Famed for his unflinching honesty and shocking insults, Simon Cowell is no stranger to controversy. But what do we really know about the man himself? In this, the first biography of the entertainment mogul, Chas Newkey-Burden reveals the man behind the music.After an inauspicious start, leaving school at sixteen and getting a job in the mail room at EMI, Cowell worked his way up to become a top A&R executive and then experienced a meteoric rise to fame as a judge on the TV talent shows Pop Idol and American Idol. Having already made his mark on the music world by signing such huge acts as Westlife, he then went on to create The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, reaching audiences in their tens of millions. Love or hate him, Cowell's candour, charisma and charm, coupled with his extraordinary business acumen, have made him a household name. Featuring original interviews with those who know him, here we discover the black-and-white truth behind the trademark black clothing and the Hollywood-white smile.