Simon Cowell - Simon Cowell's Happy Mother

Simon Cowell's mother was "delighted" but "shocked" when her son told her he was getting married.

Julie Cowell, 84, received a phone call from her music mogul son telling her he had got engaged to make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy and she couldn't hide her delight.

She revealed: "I'm shocked. I was the first person he called to say he was getting engaged.

"He's very contented with her. She's a lovely woman and I'm delighted she's so happy. I thought I would have departed from this world before Simon got married. I'm so happy he's committed to this girl."

Despite his reluctance to publicly talk about his romance with Mezhgan, the 'American Idol' judge is believed to have proposed on Valentine's Day (14.02.10) with a £250,000 diamond ring.

Friends close to the 50-year-old star now say he is determined to start a family with the beauty.

Despite his mother's happiness, Simon's publicist Max Clifford claims he is not getting ready to tie the knot.

Clifford said: "I spoke to Simon in London, just before he took his flight back to Los Angeles. I asked him, 'Look, are you engaged? Is it true?' and he said, 'No! No. I'm not engaged.'

"They are they an item. Yes, they're happy. But they're not engaged."