United Kingdom, Dec. 6 -- Simon Cowell is a lot softer since becoming a father.

The 66-year-old star has revealed that he decided to tone down his acerbic TV judging style after welcoming son Eric, 11, with his partner Lauren Silverman.

Cowell told Us Weekly: "From the minute I saw Eric's scan, I was a different person.

"I was obsessed, literally obsessed. I still am, by the way. He just changed my life. I know it sounds corny, but it gave me meaning for what I do. What happened was I started to see kids on stage, and I was thinking, 'That could be Eric'. It definitely changed something inside me."

Simon has been in a relationship with Lauren since 2012 and explained that he and his fiancee - who appears in his new Netflix series The ...