With Paula Abdul out of the picture, is Simon Cowell auditioning for the part of resident X Factor diva?
The 52-year-old reality TV mogul has already requested more flattering lighting on the set of Britain's Got Talent, and now an insider tells Us Weekly Cowell has taken to keeping a can of oxygen by his side on the show's set. "He's been sharing it with his fellow judges," the source shares. "He's been carrying it with him wherever he goes." (Fans of the oxygen inhalation trend say breathing in pure O2 can help increase energy, ease stress, and counteract the effects of pollution.)
This isn't the first time the health-obsessed Cowell has taken his hunt for longevity to the extreme, either. In September, the X Factor judge told GQ he gets a weekly intravenous drip, full of vitamins like B12, magnesium, and vitamin C.
"When you have it done, it's an incredibly warm feeling," Cowell told the magazine of the unusual procedure. "You feel all the vitamins going through you. It's indescribable but very calming, and then it gives you energy for a good few days afterward." According to a report by the Daily Mail, the reality star is also hooked on an anti-aging smoothie comprised of unusual fruits, including lingonberry, acerola berry, and chokeberry.
Though Cowell seems to recognize how ridiculous his fixation on health may seem to others, he makes no apologies for his bizarre habits–or the anti-aging rationale behind them. "Vain? Yeah, I am," Cowell told the Daily Mail back in 2007. "But to be honest with you, I can't think of one person who is on TV who isn't vain. It's the nature of the beast."