Gareth Gates reveals shock after discovering top secret beauty item Simon Cowell keeps in his office to boost his confidence

It’s safe to say that Simon Cowell propelled Gareth Gates to stardom after he finished second in Pop Idol in 2002, losing the top spot to Will Young.

And while Gareth, 40, has nothing but positive things to say about Simon, 64, it’s safe to say he might make him a little angry after he revealed one of his beauty secrets.

Speaking of the My Dirty Laundry Podcast, Gareth said he was shocked to discover that Simon had the only item in his office that would boost his confidence.

He said, ‘The first time I walked into his office I saw a mirror on the wall that said, “Yes Simon, you are the fairest in the land.”

“I swear this is true. And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, is that real?’ And he was like, ‘Yes honey, it is.'”

Gareth said: ‘The first time I went into his office I walked in and there was a mirror on the wall and it said, “Yes Simon, you are the most beautiful in the land”. I swear. And I thought, “Wait a minute, is that real?” He said, “Yes darling, it is real.”‘ (Simon pictured in 2002)

Gareth couldn’t contain his laughter as he recounted what he found in Simon’s office during an interview on the My Dirty Laundry podcast (pictured)

“I don’t know if it was a funny gift or not, but I imagine he looked at himself in it every day.”

Of his former mentor, Gareth said: ‘I owe a lot to Simon Cowell. You know, I was his kind of guy from the start on Pop Idol.

“And I was obviously on his label. We got along really, really well. We bump into each other every now and then, but he’s a great guy. You know, and the annoying thing about Simon is he’s always right.”

During the interview, Gareth also revealed that he is still in touch with his pop rival Will and that they could possibly go head to head in the charts again.

Will has just released his hit pop single Light It Up, taken from his upcoming studio album of the same name.

And Gareth said, ‘Actually, I’ve just signed a new record deal. It’s still very early days, but I’m working on new material towards the end of the year and hopefully I’ll have it out next year.

‘Will is a great guy. We’ve been through a lot together. Pop Idol was the first of its kind, long before X Factor.

‘It was kind of uncharted territory. We were both thrown into it and we really only had each other to rely on.

And yeah, it was like, you know, we became really, really good friends because of that.

“He’s great, he’s got a great voice. The best man won, I think.”

Gareth is about to kick off his self-produced Gareth Gates sings… Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons tour.

He said, ‘These songs that I do, you know, they’re so great to sing. I always put Frankie Valli songs in all my sets, wherever I’m on tour.

‘And you know, the response I’m getting to these songs is amazing. You know, and so this tour that I’m doing starts on September 29th, goes on for three weeks in October. We’re going to all the major cities in the UK.

‘I’m really looking forward to it. For anyone who wants to come and see the show, go to www.garethgatessings.com – it’s got all the dates and all the tickets.’

Listen to the full interview on the My Dirty Laundry Podcast. Out now. Follow @mydirtylaundrypodcast on Instagram for more updates.

Of his former mentor, Gareth said: “I owe a lot to Simon Cowell. You know, I was his kind of guy from the start on Pop Idol,” pictured as he celebrates his 40th birthday this week

Gareth lost out to Will Young in 2002, but he said: ‘Will is a great guy. We’ve been through a lot together. Pop Idol was the first of its kind, long before X Factor’

Simon, pictured this week, looks drastically different to how he used to look – pictured this week in Dublin