He might only show tough love to the hopefuls trying their luck on one of his many talent shows, but it seems fatherhood could have softened Simon Cowell. The father of one invited a five-year-old cancer patient to join in the fun at his son Eric's most recent birthday party. Kian Musgrove travelled from Northumberland to London to celebrate Eric's fourth birthday with a Despicable Me-themed bash.
Kian suffers from Neuroblastoma, a cancer that forms in the nerve tissue that runs alongside the spinal cord in the neck, chest, tummy or pelvis.
Simon and Kian have met before; the X Factor boss donated £25,000 and paid for his flight to America in 2016 so that he could receive pioneering treatment.
In an interview with Chronicle Live, Kian's mum Kat revealed that Simon reached out with an invite to the party, two days before it was set to go ahead. Simon paid for their train journey to London and arranged for a chauffeur to drop them off at the event.
Speaking about Simon she said: 'He's so kind'. The two young boys played together on the bouncy castle and ball pit. Unfortunately for Kian, he didn't find out the ball pit was filled with water until after he jumped in!
Simon and Kian back at the X Factor final in December
30-year-old Kat said: 'Kian was soaking and had to be taken away by Eric's nanny. They dried him off and ordered some more clothes for him. It was very good of them to do that.'
She continued: 'He's just loving it. He's running around and playing with Eric. He's been jumping up and down on the bouncy castle with inflatable bananas. It's been a brilliant day.'
Simon's gesture has inspired people from all over the world to donate to Kian's treatment fund. More than £600,000 has been raised for the five-year-old so far.
His treatment takes place in New York and he recently completed his final round of treatment. Over the next year Kian will have more tests to see if the treatment has been successful.
Kian's family and friends are said to be hopeful that he is on the mend and will soon be cancer free.
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