Simon Cowell was in the house while it was being robbed. Photo / Getty
Simon Cowell was in the house while it was being robbed. Photo / Getty
Simon Cowell has fired one of his security guards after a burglar broke into his home and stole cash and jewellery reportedly worth tens of thousands of pounds as he and his family slept.
The music mogul was at his $22 million West London house with his girlfriend Lauren Silverman and their baby son Eric when the burglar raided a safe at about 2.20am on Friday.
A bodyguard who was at the property at the time has now had his employment terminated.
However, last night Cowell hailed another guard who nearly apprehended the thief as a "hero" - and said he would soon be receiving a Christmas bonus.
The 56-year-old revealed how a private security guard called Mendes, employed to patrol the neighbourhood, had confronted the burglar after seeing him drop something in the street.
After discovering the object was Cowell's passport, he gave chase and managed to grab a bag containing some valuables from the man. The thief, however, managed to escape.
Outside his home last night, Cowell said: "That man is a hero and will be getting a Christmas bonus." Asked about his own security staff, he added: "One person won't be here any more."
Of the burglary, The X Factor judge said: "The most frightening thing is someone has been in your house. It's not what they steal, it's that's someone can break into your house. It's nerve-racking.
"No one got hurt. Someone gets into your house and steals stuff - it could've been worse. I was fine. Lauren was woken up with me and checked on Eric.
"There are private security guards who patrol the area and they saw the guy leave and he dropped my passport.
"[One] got out the car, picked up my passport, realised it was mine and approached the guy. The guy ran off and then he [the guard] told us there was somebody who'd burgled the house - that's how we found out about it."
Joking about his Yorkshire terriers Squiddly and Diddly, Cowell added: "We have the worst guard dogs in the world. Maybe we'll get bigger dogs."
A family friend said: "It's a shock and quite scary but the family are safe and that's the most important thing. Possessions can be replaced. It is believed there is a clear image of the suspect on CCTV which has been shared with police. Simon loves the house and won't be moving. Life must go on."
A neighbour last night claimed there had been eight burglaries in the area over the past three weeks. "People here are locking their internal doors," they added. "The culprit has been spotted a few times - he is 6ft 4in with dark skin. On one occasion he got in through the dog flap."
Yesterday, police confirmed there had been at least three burglaries on three streets around Cowell's home since November and they were investigating the possibility that they are linked.
