Simon Cowell contemplated suicide in his teens.

The ‘American Idol’ judge hated the strict rules in school and couldn’t find anything to spark his interest or inspire him.

He confessed: “I was always bored. I didn’t like the rules and I didn’t like discipline. So when someone said to me, ‘These are the best days of your life,’ I actually thought about jumping off a bridge. I was like, ‘If it gets any worse than this I’m done,’ because I hated school and I hated my life.”

Simon has also revealed the criticism he received when he was growing up and starting his career in the music business made him the success he is today.

He added to Parade.com: “No one gave me any handouts when I started. I had to work my way up. I certainly learned more when people criticised me than when they lied to me and said what I was doing was right.

“You cannot survive in this business unless you know when you’ve made a mistake. So I would feel guilty about giving people fake hope when I genuinely believe they have no chance.”

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While Simon Cowell isn’t known for being generous with his praise, he puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to charity. The American Idol judge is donating a day’s pay to Idol Gives Back, PEOPLE has confirmed.

After traveling to Africa and touring sites in the US last year as part of the inaugural Idol Gives Back campaign, “Simon saw first-hand children in extremely impoverished conditions,” a source close to Cowell says. “He donated his paycheck then and he had no hesitation in donating his paycheck again this year.”

Charities receiving donations as part of this year’s Idol Gives Back include: The Children’s Defense Fund, Children’s Health Fund, The Global Fund, Make It Right, Malaria No More, and Save the Children.

Yesterday, a source close to Idol host Ryan Seacrest revealed to PEOPLE that he, too, was donating a day’s pay, saying, “When he and Simon went to Africa last year and saw the children, it was really life-altering for him.”

Idol Gives Back will air on FOX Wednesday, April 9.

That’s pretty classy of Simon and Ryan, we should all give a day’s pay to helping the children of the world.

The music mogul, who is a judge on TV talents shows ‘The X Factor’ and ‘American Idol’, has a staggering £100million fortune, according to a list compiled by Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper’s Weekend magazine.Weekend financial journalist Duncan Farmer said: “It’s the 47-year-old’s continuing success in the US, particularly with ‘American Idol’ - a show watched by 41 million Americans every week - that has really helped to fill the Cowell coffers.

“A recent report in an US magazine estimated the ‘American Idol’ and ‘X Factor’ brands could be worth as much as £750million for Cowell.”

Simon’s fellow ‘X Factor’ judge Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy - who both starred in MTV reality show ‘The Osbournes’ - saw their collective riches equal Simon’s.

‘The Weakest Link’ presenter Anne Robinson was in second place with £62million. However, she could be set to lose half her wealth in a bitter divorce battle with ex-husband John Penrose.

Celebrity chefs battled it out for fourth position, with Gordon Ramsay eventually beating fellow chef Jamie Oliver by £20million.

He may be rich but he’s still a dick!

Simon Cowell worships his hairdryer, according to Amanda Holden.

The ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge blow dries his own hair before every TV performance and fellow panellist Amanda believes it is part of a private ritual.

She said: “Simon has this little routine before every show, with his hair dryer, but it’s pointless - he looks exactly the same afterwards.

“I can only assume it has become some sort of ritual. Just as Madonna prays before a performance, Simon worships at the altar of his Babyliss hairdryer.

“He likes to be reassured that he looks good and we always tell him it does. He’s always checking his appearance. His hair never moves. Maybe he should grow it slightly, so it looks less military.”

Simon Cowell insists Paris Hilton’s upcoming jail sentence for violating her probation for driving on a suspended license won’t hinder her career, because the socialite is a “survivor”.

Music mogul Simon Cowell admits he feels sorry for Hilton, who is scheduled to begin a 45-day jail sentence, although this could be reduced to as little as 23 days, by 5 June (07).

He says, “I feel a bit sorry for Paris to be honest with you. Does she deserve to go to jail? No, I don’t think so. But she’s a survivor.

“I’m not condoning what she did and I think she knows she made a mistake, but there’s worse things in the world and I just feel a bit sorry for her.”

He adds, “She can come and stay with me for 45 days.”

I think Simon Cowell feels sorry for Paris Hilton because he knows how it feels to be hated by the American public. 

Apparently, the former supermodel, Janice Dickinson has the hots for American Idols Simon Cowell and says she’d love to jump in bed with him if given the chance because she thinks of him as her ideal man. She said:

“I can compete with Simon because we’re both authorities in our industry. I like Simon. I’d sleep with him in a heartbeat, he’s sexy.”

That’s not Janice Dickinson in the above photo, she’s the crazy former model who was on the VH1 show, who’s like 50 and really scary looking.  Obviously Simon is doing pretty well with girlfriend Terri Seymour above.

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