Simon Cowell gave £1,000 to the security guard who chased a burglar from his home.
Simon Cowell
Following a break-in at the music mogul's London house earlier this month, M'Bathonha Mendes - who worked for a local security firm - chased the intruder and Simon gave him a Christmas card and a sum of money to show his appreciation, the Sunday People reports.
Simon gave Mr Mendes the card and money when they met in person so he could thank him for his bravery.
The 'X Factor' star previously admitted he feared for his 21-month-old son Eric's safety after being told his house had been burgled.
Simon, 56, - who also lives with his girlfriend Lauren Silverman at their home in Holland Park, West London - shared: "It was nerve-racking. Lauren was woken up with me and we checked on Eric.
"That was the first thing we did, to make sure he was OK.
"Apart from the fact someone broke into my house and stole my stuff, which is scary, it could have been worse. Thankfully no one was hurt. But we have the worst guard dogs in the world."
The thief stole cash and items thought to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, but Simon insisted that his first priority was the safety of his family.
He said: "It's not what they stole, it's the fact they got into the house. That was the frightening thing, the idea someone was in my house."
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