Cowell f lew model in John Terry row to spend seven days aboard his yacht
SIMON COWELL invited Vanessa Perroncel – the model accused of having an affair with England captain John Terry – to holiday with him on his luxury private yacht in the South of France.
Brunette Miss Perroncel was flown over by the X Factor boss to enjoy a seven-day vacation on his boat, Slipstream, moored outside St Tropez, last summer.
She was among a small number of Cowell’s closest friends, including his ex-girlfriend Sinitta, who were on the boat at the time.
It is the first time Cowell’s friendship with Miss Perroncel has been revealed and it comes in the wake of recent claims surrounding the music mogul’s private life and a string of affairs he is said to have had.
Cowell, 52, is said to be reeling from details in Tom Bower’s book Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life Of Simon Cowell, in which he confesses to a romance with fellow X Factor judge Dannii Minogue in 2007. The book also reveals how Cowell enjoyed a brief fling with Miss Minogue’s friend, the brunette actress and singer Natalie Imbruglia. Now we can report that last year Cowell paid for Miss Perroncel, 35, to fly first class on a British Airways jet to join him on his yacht, only days after he had spent a week with Miss Imbruglia at sea.
It is believed that Cowell had attempted to revive his affair with Miss Imbruglia during that time but the Australian star spurned his advances.
Within days he had contacted French-born Miss Perroncel and flown her out to the yacht to join him and eight of his friends. Cowell was engaged at the time to his former make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy, but she was not present.
Both Miss Perroncel and Cowell deny there was a romance. Speaking last night from her home in Surrey, Miss Perroncel said: ‘Simon and I are just friends. It was just a holiday and nothing happened. It was a vacation between pals.’
Cowell has been criticised for his womanising ways, with former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne accusing him of romancing several women at the same time. It is claimed in the book that he broke off his engagement to Miss Hussainy last year after a string of rows, and he has bought her a £5 million home instead.
Miss Perroncel was at the centre of claims in 2010 that she had an affair with Chelsea footballer Terry behind the back of her then partner, Terry’s close friend and fellow England player Wayne Bridge, with whom she has a son. Bridge, then playing for Manchester City, famously refused to shake hands with Terry before a match against Chelsea.
Terry lost the England captaincy following the claims, but Miss Perroncel denied an affair, saying they were ‘friends’.