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Simon Cowell showed he occasionally takes a break from being Mr Nasty as he burst into tears live on America’s Got Talent.
The music mogul is known for his harsh critique and hard-to-please nature but he was overcome with emotion following his golden buzzer act Michael Ketterer’s performance on Tuesday night.
The paediatric mental health nurse, who has adopted five children, had the judges and audience on their feet after a perfect rendition of James Bay’s Us during the live show.
And judge Cowell was left misty eyed as he tried to wave away host Tyra Banks coming to him for comment.
Misty eyed: Simon Cowell was choked up after the performanceNBCBanks replied: “I'm not going to come back. I know you're emotional and I want you to talk through it.”
Visibly choked up, Cowell told Ketterer: “As a dad I kind of get… I couldn’t… I can’t imagine what you’ve done.
"The fact you're on this show and you really need this and are a really, really special guy. There’s something about you.”
Banks told Cowell: “Simon, that is one of the most beautiful moments I have ever seen of you, that vulnerability and that beauty.
"And that’s what a lot of people don’t know about Mr Cowell is that he is a big soft papa.”
Ketterer won the hearts of the judges and the nation with his first audition, during which he spoke of her wish to show his six children how to "live out their dreams".
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It was later revealed he had adopted three of his children from squalid conditions of a meth lab, one who was homeless and another who has cerebral palsy.
Cowell, who will be back on UK screens in September with series 15 of The X Factor, has a four-year-old son Eric with Lauren Silverman.