Lucy Spraggan has revealed Simon Cowell had a ‘tear in his eye’ before walking her down the aisle on her wedding day.
Back in 2012, a then 20-year-old Lucy auditioned for the ninth season of The X Factor, getting through the audition, boot camp and judge’s house stages before withdrawing from the competition four weeks into the live shows.
At the time the reason for her exit was cited as illness, however last year Lucy revealed she had to walk away after being sexually assaulted.
She has since spoken about the support provided to her by the show’s creator, who reached out to her after the shocking attack.
After their close friendship was formed, 64-year-old Simon walked Lucy down the aisle.
Lucy, 32, married her wedding photographer girlfriend Emilia Smith, 34, recently, with the music mogul giving her away.
‘It was perfect,’ she said.
‘Simon and I were standing outside the door and my song started playing. I was already crying, and Simon definitely had a tear in his eye. I was linking arms with him but then I realised I was holding on to his arm.
‘He kept saying, “You’re OK, you’re all right”. Then when Emilia walked in with her dad I just sobbed,’ she told Hello! magazine.
Reflecting on the moment, Emilia also said Simon ‘looked so proud’.
Although Simon and Lucy never met during her time on The X Factor, they became close after he reached out in the aftermath of the assault, with Lucy then signing with his Syco label.
During a recent holiday to Barbados Lucy, who is estranged from her father, asked Simon to give her away.
Simon said that ‘the best way of describing our relationship is that it feels like we’ve been friends for life’.
‘I was very honoured to be asked to walk Lucy down the aisle. I considered it a very big deal. As soon as she asked me, I said yes. On the day I was actually quite nervous because I’ve never been asked before. And then very proud and happy and emotional.’
He added that being asked to walk her down the aisle made him realise ‘the significance and importance’ of that role.
Meanwhile Lucy said that ‘everything people get from their fathers, I get from Simon’, also calling Simon and his wife Lauren a ‘constant support’.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge also said that they ‘felt like family and share a very special bond’.
Lucy then went on to share a sweet video from her wedding day with her new wife on Instagram, writing: ‘Time went SO fast, I wish we could do it all again. What a day. Emilia you are THE most beautiful woman I have ever seen.’
However the singer did reveal some nasty comments from trolls, sharing one in which a person said it was a ‘bad wedding and a bad couple forbidden by God’.
Posting a video speaking about the negativity, Lucy said they’d had ‘loads of messages like that, but I’ve been deleting them’, before saying they were ‘far outweighed by lovely and positive messages’ and thanked people who had been supportive.
After being friends for a decade, Lucy and Emilia started dating last year, with Simon saying the couple were ‘true soul mates’.
Among the guests to see the couple tie the knot at Saltmarshe Hall, a historic country hotel in East Yorkshire, were Lauren, Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Bimini Bon-Boulash and Love Island star Adam Collard.
Last year Lucy told Metro.co.uk about her strong friendship with Simon and how they regularly hang out.
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‘I know him as the guy I go and have dinner with at his house, who I’ve been to a bloody petting zoo with. I feel really grateful to be championed by someone who is so supportive and such a good friend,’ she said.
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