AceShowbiz -

Simon Cowell finally breaks silence on reports of him being the father of Lauren Silverman's unborn baby. "The X Factor (US)" judge addressed the topic prior to the premiere of "One Direction: This Is Us" on Tuesday, August 20 in London.

"Things are changing in my life right now, for the better," Simon told a BBC reporter. "I'm proud to be a dad. It's something I haven't thought of before, and then, now I know I feel good about it. And she's [Silverman] a very special girl," he added.

Reports about Simon fathering the baby of his friend's wife Lauren Silverman emerged last month. The TV mogul, however, did not want to say anything about the rumors. "I haven't read the newspapers. Am I missing something? Sorry. Unfortunately, I have to keep this private for the moment. It's just one of those things, but thank you anyway," he said during a FOX TCA event in L.A. earlier this month.

Andrew Silverman and his estranged wife reached divorce settlement last week. "As I've said all along, my priority was resolving this quickly for the sake of our son. Lauren and I both love him very much and I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in our lives. Hopefully people will respect our family's privacy," Andrew said in a statement.