BAFTA winner Simon Cowell is anything but ‘Mr Nasty’ when it comes to animals!

Posted by on June 7, 2010 | Permalink

Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor judge Simon Cowell collected a well deserved British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Special Award on Sunday for his ‘outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry and the development of new talent.’Far from being ‘Mr Nasty’ as he is often portrayed in the media for his ‘tell it like it is’ attitude towards people auditioning on his talent shows, Simon is a big softie when it comes to animals.

For several years, PETA and PETA affiliates have been fortunate enough to have Simon’s support in a number of campaigns. He joined Charlize Theron and Twiggy in participating in the “If You Wouldn’t Wear Your Dog, Please Don’t Wear Any Fur” ad campaign. I was lucky enough to work with Simon when he filmed the “Too Hot for Spot” video to warn people about the dangers of leaving dogs in cars during warm weather. Simon’s image currently adorns PETA US’ mobile spay-and-neuter clinic, which serves low-income rural areas in Virginia and North Carolina. And Simon has continued to give exclusive interviews in which he speaks out on a variety of animal issues.

So all of us here at PETA would like to say “Congratulations Simon” on your well deserved BAFTA.It’s also nice to know that the prestigious BAFTA event was foie gras–free thanks to a recent PETA UK victory. We wrote to BAFTA after we found out that they served foie gras in their restaurant, 195 Piccadilly, and sent them a link to Kate Winslet’s foie gras narration. Shortly afterwards they contacted us to say that not only had they removed foie gras from their restaurant menu, they also pledged never to serve foie gras at any future BAFTA events!