American Idol judge Simon Cowell engaged, now planning baby?

[HMG] – In an inevitable sequel to our earlier story, it seems American Idol judge Simon Cowell and his friend, Mezghan Hussainy are set to get married. And Simon wants kids.

“Simon loves Mezghan, it’s as simple as that,” a close friend told the Mail. “This is something Simon isn’t telling many people, but they are engaged.”

Having just turned 50, the man who once called marriage ‘an outdated contract’ has been seemingly reborn as intellectual jello; In an interview with Piers Morgan yesterday, the normally acid-tongued host said;

‘She’s the one. She’s very special, and you know when you’ve found somebody very special.” And just in case you could still keep your breakfast, he added; “I think I need to have little Simons around.”

He kept his ex, Terri Seymour unmarried and childless for over six years because he ‘hates’ kids…and now this!

But what sounds like first-hand confirmation [which is rare in this job!] follows a week of intense speculation after Mezghan was seen in public with Simon, wearing a $400,000 Graff diamond on her ring finger, and a bracelet believed to be worth another $450,000

The now outed couple met in 2003 on the set of ‘Idol’ and have been formally dating for just over six months. But three years ago the upcoming groom had quite different views about settling down; He then told the UK press that marriage was ‘nuts’ and ‘needs to be overhauled.’

He also admitted that even the idea of losing half his fortune [which his last UK tax return puts in the ball-park of $205-million] in a courtroom ‘simply terrifies me.’

Apparently, no more.

But last night Simon’s reps got quite sniffy about all of this; ‘Simon’s private life is private!’ they snapped at the Mail.

Yeah, good luck with that. Appearing in public with your ‘friend’ while she’s dripping with $850,000+ of upmarket bling is a great way to keep a big secret??

What do you guys think of all this?…

Update: US Weekly is reporting that these rumors are officially false. Cowell’s longtime publicist Max Clifford tells them he spoke with Cowell in London and that Cowell says, “No! No, I’m not engaged.”