Not much has changed about Britain’s Got Talent over the years, with a new series currently being filmed.
The usual mixture of hopeful contestants, straight-talking judges and tear-jerking backstories combined with the heady promise of potential fame and fortune has earned the failsafe format millions of viewers – and a near permanent air of predictability.
If only the same could be said of its creator.
An appearance during the opening episode of the last ever series of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway on Saturday 24 February prompted some questioning comments from viewers.
Fans of the show were left addressing the elephant Simon Cowell had inadvertently let into the room – namely, his radically different and seemingly ever-changing features.
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Simon Cowell made an appearance on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend to chat about a prank he was subjected to but viewers found it difficult to focus on what he was saying and were more concerned about his appearance
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The music mogul, now 64, was pranked by hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as they had him pulled over by fake police while on his bike in Malibu, before he was locked in a metal box during a staged mishap while filming America’s Got Talent auditions.
Simon made an appearance in the studio to chat about the prank but viewers found it difficult to focus on what he was saying and were more concerned about his appearance.
TV star Simon has previously denied having a face lift but admitted to regretting his extensive use of Botox.
Taking to X, several viewers commented on his looks, with one writing: ‘Is that definitely Simon Cowell? He looks like a melting Ken Doll?’
Fellow guest Stephen Merchant also couldn’t resist commenting on Simon’s appearance during the show.
Commenting on the clip, Stephen, 49, joked: ‘I didn’t like it… I loved it. That was my Simon impression. It wasn’t very convincing because my face moved.’
Has he really changed? Or is it just our imagination?
Fear not, MailOnline has the answer. Join us as we cast a cautiously chronological look back at the many, many faces of Simon Cowell.
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1985: Cowell’s dashing features turned plenty of heads during a night out with girlfriend Sinitta at London nightclub Legends
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1987: The then little-known record producer looked youthful and fresh-faced in this TV appearance from the late eighties
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1990: Cowell looks handsome while posing alongside his then girlfriend Sinitta, a constant in his life, at a London event
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1999: Cowell, aged 40, with Ray Hedges and Kate Thornton while judging the This Morning Boy Band Competition
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1994-2007: Cowell modelled a pair of circular spectacles at the BRIT Awards in 1994 (L), while the teeth appeared to be a little whiter in Britain’s Got Talent publicity photos from 2007 (R)
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2001: Cowell looks suave on Pop Idol, a prototype for The X Factor and the show that helped establish him as a household name
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2001-2003: The mogul developed a reputation for delivering caustic remarks to hapless guests on Pop Idol following its launch (left, on the Pop Idol panel in 2001 and right, attending the Love Actually film premiere in 2003)
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Don’t mind me: The pose is similar but the face looks marginally different as Cowell poses for an X Factor publicity photo in 2005 (L) and at an American Idol party in 2006 (R)
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2012: Cowell once again commands attention while attending Britain’s Got Talent auditions in London’s Hammersmith
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2014-2019: Cowell’s gleaming teeth appear to have been straightened and whitened over the years (L-R at The X Factor in 2014 and enjoying a night out in 2019)
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Say cheese: Cowell’s features have radically changed down the years (L-R attending American Idol auditions in 2008, at an NBC press day in 2018, and more recently at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards in 2022)
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2015: Career-smoker Cowell prepares to light up a cigarette as he leaves a private function in London
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2015: The British star stepped out with some uncharacteristic facial hair just two months later while launching The X Factor in London
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2021-22: Cowell appears to have lost weight over the last 12 months, while the lines that previously defined his features have been smoothed out (L-R at America’s Got Talent Extreme and more recently in a Britain’s Got Talent social media post)
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2022: The music mogul raised eyebrows during his appearance at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards in November, where he was accompanied by glamorous partner Lauren Silverman
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2022: An otherwise straightforward appearance at this year’s pre-recorded Royal Variety performance on December 2 prompted more unwanted questions than answers
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2022: More quizzical eyebrows were raised just days later, when Cowell’s face was curiously obscured by shadow as he eulogised about eight-year old son Eric during a remote appearance on ITV chat show Loose Women
