One Direction Talks Simon Cowell's Baby News, Zayn Malik's Engagement

Simon Cowell is more paternal than he cares to admit. Though the X Factor creator has doubted his ability to raise a child in the past, the boys of One Direction believe Cowell will make an excellent father when he welcomes his firstborn with girlfriend Lauren Silverman.

The quintet should know, as they've been in Cowell's care ever since he assembled their group on the U.K.'s X Factor in 2010. "I think he's going to be good at it, changing nappies [diapers] and all that," Niall Horan told E!'s Alicia Quarles of Cowell's childrearing skills.

Though 1D is known for pulling pranks, the singers are planning to give Cowell a practical present prior to his baby's birth. "We're gonna get him a pram—a stroller," said Harry Styles.

Cowell, it seems, is becoming more confident in his parenting potential. "Things are changing in my life right now, for the better," he said at the London premiere of One Direction: This Is Us on Tuesday, Aug. 20. "I'm proud to be a dad. It's something I haven't thought of before, and then, now I know I feel good about it."

He certainly does. Days after the star-studded event, Cowell and Silverman were photographed packing on the PDA in St. Tropez. According to a source, "They are definitely a couple. The relationship is loving and they're very happy together."

The 53-year-old TV personality isn't the only one whose love life is kicking into high gear; One Direction's Zayn Malik recently proposed to Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards. Though most band members were kept in the dark about his August proposal, Malik told E! News he "might have" told Louis Tomlinslon before he popped the question.

As a smiling Malik explained, "I kept it on the D.L."

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