Simon Cowell’s mum has admitted that she is more concerned that her son is polite and pleasant than she is with his TV career.

When asked if his ‘Mr Nasty’ reputation bothered her, 82-year-old Julie Cowell told Yours magazine: “It would only upset me if he really was a nasty person. Simon isn’t nasty – he’s just honest.”

The former dancer added: “I’ll tell him if I think he’s said the wrong thing to a contestant. I’ve always insisted on politeness, so when people say how pleasant Simon is, I mutter ‘thank goodness’. It means more to me than his television career.”