I would love to break up with Simon Cowell. Even though I can’t stand the man and breaking up with him would also mean I’d have to first date him, I think it’d definitely be worth it. Why? Because of the lovely parting gifts. Cowell recently broke up with longtime girlfriend Terri Seymour and gave her $5 million in cash – in addition to $4.6 million for her to buy a house in Beverly Hills. That’s a pretty sweet deal.

Both Simon Cowell and Terri Seymour’s camps have been referring to their recent split as amicable, and well, how could it not be (at least for Seymour) when a $9 million goodbye gift is involved?

Cowell is said to have given Seymour, who he dated for six years, $5 million cash and another $4.6 to buy a Beverly Hills home just before calling it quits, reports Life & Style.

“Terri phoned Simon about six weeks ago and finished it,” his rep told Life & Style, referring to the breakup. “Simon thinks the world of Terri, and that isn’t going to change. He also understands her reason for ending it.”

According to the magazine, Seymour wanted to marry and start a family, whereas Cowell recently said, “I don’t want to marry anyone, because whoever marries me will end up hating me.”

As for the pile of money Seymour reportedly received: a rep for Cowell says, “this isn’t the kind of thing he usually comments about.”

[From MSNBC’s The Scoop]

What a generous gift. Either Cowell is a much, much kinder man than anyone ever knew, or it might be hush money. Celebitchy wonders if it’s “keep the bizarre sex stuff secret” money. Simon strikes me as the sort who’s probably into some weird stuff, so I’m going to assume that’s what the cash really is for.

Apparently the reason for the breakup is that Seymour wanted marriage and children, and Cowell does not. He’s also utterly perplexed by women, but that’s nothing shocking.

She wants a different path in life, and I totally respect her for it,” Cowell explains. “We will be the best of mates, but I think in relationships, you have to be totally honest. I have always been and I know Terri knows that.” But honesty doesn’t always equal understanding.

“I find women confusing really,” Cowell continues. “When you hook up and date, you’re both honest about what you want. I have never ever said that I want children or marriage. I know some people find it hard to fathom, but it’s me, it’s who I am.”

“Bottom line is I am married to my job. When people moan about been a celebrity, I think ‘Oh please, sort yourself out – it’s the greatest job in the world.’ I wake up daily thanking my lucky stars, but to throw marriage into that mix is not right. I have seen too many celebrity marriages that on paper make a great mix, fall apart through ego and just plain celebrity madness.”

[From Fox News]

Simon strikes me as the sort who probably shouldn’t be a father. He’s way too critical and not nearly supportive enough. It’s good Simon’s clear about what he wants. If he doesn’t want marriage and kids, then he’d probably be terrible with them. It makes more sense to break up now rather than prolong it, since there’s really no good solution.

Here’s Simon and Terri in happier times at the American Idol Season 6 finale at the Kodak Theater in May 2007. Header at the TV Guide Emmy Party in Hollywood on September 16th. His hair makes me so mad. Images thanks to WENN.

In April there was a story in the National Enquirer that American Idol judge and reality show mogul Simon Cowell, 43, was dumped by his longterm girlfriend, TV presenter Terri Seymour, 33. At the time Terri was said to be fed up with Cowell’s rumored carousing and his inability to settle down and have a family. If they did split it seems to have been temporary as they were spotted out together since. Seymour even attended an American Idol event to introduce the new judge Kara DioGuardi in late August.

Last year Seymour told a funny story to the press about how she hardly ever mentions children to Cowell, but that when she did bring it up he told her to get a turtle. She added that she did want children eventually but that she knew that it wasn’t an option with Cowell and she didn’t expect him to change his mind about it.

Fast forward to the fall and Seymour seems to have realized that if she wants a family she’ll have find a man who’s up for it. Cowell’s rep confirmed to People Magazine that his client was dumped by Seymour over the phone about six weeks ago and that the issue of whether to have a family was what drove them apart:

Simon Cowell and longtime girlfriend Terri Seymour have split, Cowell’s rep confirms to PEOPLE.

“Terri phoned Simon and finished it in September, about six weeks ago,” says Cowell’s rep, Max Clifford. “They are going to remain close friends. Simon thinks the world of Terri and that isn’t going to change. He also understands her reason for ending it.”

The couple were together for six years. Seymour, 34, first met Cowell, 48, when she was 18, but the couple didn’t begin dating until she interviewed him for a show in 2002.

“In the past Terri has said that she wants kids but that just isn’t Simon,” added Clifford. “Nobody else is involved, certainly not on Simon’s side.”

[From People]

It takes a lot to change a guy who’s set in his ways and Cowell just isn’t the type who is going to wake up one day and realize he wants kids. He has his mansions and his high performance cars and he wants a girlfriend who is happy living a life of freedom with him. There are surely plenty of other women who would be glad to oblige.

Seymour is now said to be dating hot actor Stephen Dorff, 35. He doesn’t strike me as the type who’s particularly ready to start a family, but he is a definite upgrade from Cowell.

Simon Cowell and Terri Seymour are shown out in LA on 4/25/07. Credit: Fame Pictures

American Idol judge Simon Cowell and his girlfriend of over five years, TV presenter Terri Seymour, have broken up over cheating rumors and Simon’s refusal to get married, claims the National Enquirer. 33 year-old Terri was hoping that Simon, 48, would marry her eventually and have children. After hanging around waiting and hearing rumors that he’d been cheating with other women, she decided that she’d had enough and called it quits. Terri moved out of the mansion they shared and now has her own house. They managed to break up under the radar, and sources say that Simon wants Terri back but that he’s not about to change his roving ways and marry her:

The couple’s secret split came after several reports that Simon had cheated. In 2006, a British publication reported that Simon was seeing model and sociality Jasmine Lennard.

Then last summer, The Enquirer revealed Teri was rattled by rumors that Simon was fooling around with a woman associated with “American Idol.”

Simon wants Terri back, and some insiders say he may be able to talk his way out of trouble again. But the friend added he’s going to have a tough time because “Terri felt that if Simon wasn’t going to settle down by now, it was never going to happen.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, April 28, 2008]

You can tell that Simon is a big flirt, and although the British press is notorious for making up stories he definitely could have cheated. The woman he was said to have cheated with in the summer of 2006 was photographed leaving his home in the morning at a time when Terri was away. Simon has been very outspoken about not wanting a family, and Terri told People Magazine last year that she rarely talks to him about children and when she did bring it up he told her to buy a turtle. She said it didn’t bother her at the time, but that she did want children eventually. It’s not like she was going to get anywhere by hanging around waiting. If she has her own house now they probably have broken up, but we’ll have to see if they make any appearances together or any kind of statement about it.

Simon Cowell and Terri Seymour are shown at the TV Guide Emmy Party on 9/16/07, thanks to Splash News.