Simon Cowell's new £15m mansion is 'haunted by the ghost of Antinous - the gay lover of Roman Emperor Hadrian'
Simon Cowell's most recent real estate investment is said to have come with the soul of a gay Roman.
According to former-owner Christian Levett, the London property (which Simon purchased for £15 million to live in with partner Lauren Silverman and their five-year-old son Eric last October) is haunted by Antinous - the lover of Hadrian, the ruler of the Roman Empire from 117 to 138.
Levett claims, as reports The Sun, that he himself brought Antinous' spirit into the home when he purchased a statue of him in 2014, inadvertently unleashing the Bithynian Greek's spirit onto the property.
Who you gonna call? Simon Cowell's most recent real estate investment is said to have come with the soul of gay Roman god Antinous [R]
'It was delivered in a crate,' the hedge-fund billionaire said. 'When I was locking up, I heard the sound of heavy objects being knocked over from the drawing room where Antinous was still lying in his box. The same happened the next two nights. But there was nobody there.'
A further source has also claimed that Simon, 59, believes this is more than just an urban legend.
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'Simon believes in spirits so he’s been freaked out by this story. I don’t think he was aware when he moved in. He might have to call a ghost-buster,' they said.
Further fuel has been added to this fire by a neighbour also weighing in on it.
The haunting of Cowell house: Simon purchased the mansion in October for £15 million as a home for him, his partner Lauren Silverman and their five-year-old son Eric
![In need of an X-[Factor]-orcist? A further source has also claimed that Simon, 59, believes this is more than just an urban legend](http://web.archive.org/web/20190416060710/https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/14/12/12255104-6920791-image-a-43_1555242765123.jpg)
![In need of an X-[Factor]-orcist? A further source has also claimed that Simon, 59, believes this is more than just an urban legend](http://web.archive.org/web/20190416060710im_/https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/14/12/12255104-6920791-image-a-43_1555242765123.jpg)
In need of an X-[Factor]-orcist? A further source has also claimed that Simon, 59, believes this is more than just an urban legend
They said: 'I know when Christian lived there the family heard unexplained noises. There’d be a bump from a bedroom then the next night a noise from downstairs.'
The story of Antinous is a tragic one; he was a favourite of Hadrian and was known to be particularly 'beautiful'. The pair were fond of hunting together, so history reports.
It was widely presumed that the pair had a sexual relationship - and many were jealous of Antinous.
He died in October 130 under mysterious circumstances, when on a voyage along the Nile.
Ghost-Bust-Er! The story of Antinous is a tragic one - having been a favourite of Hadrian, known to be particularly 'beautiful'. The pair were fond of hunting together, so history reports. It was widely presumed that the pair had a sexual relationship - and many were jealous of Antinous
He never returned, and the cause of his death remains a mystery to this day, with many speculating he was murdered by other members of the Empire, jealous of his bond with Hadrian.
Others have speculated that he fell and drowned in the Nile, while some believe he took his own life.
Following his death, Hadrian deified Antinous and created a cult devoted to him. Ever since his death he has been known as both a hero and as 'the gay god'.
Christians and Pagans attempted to quash the cult later in history, due to the homosexual undertones of it, but it is still considered to be alive and well.
Whether the Roman favourite has indeed latched on to the X Factor judge is to be determined - but Simon is no stranger to the paranormal.
![In touch with the other side: '[The dead] just want to make contact and say hello,' he told The Sun in 2016. ‘I had [a ghost] in my house when I was living in Kingston Hill. My mum and dad were staying with me and I heard this banging on the door'](http://web.archive.org/web/20190416060710/https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/14/12/12255616-6920791-image-a-49_1555243194194.jpg)
![In touch with the other side: '[The dead] just want to make contact and say hello,' he told The Sun in 2016. ‘I had [a ghost] in my house when I was living in Kingston Hill. My mum and dad were staying with me and I heard this banging on the door'](http://web.archive.org/web/20190416060710im_/https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/14/12/12255616-6920791-image-a-49_1555243194194.jpg)
In touch with the other side: '[The dead] just want to make contact and say hello,' he told The Sun in 2016. ‘I had [a ghost] in my house when I was living in Kingston Hill. My mum and dad were staying with me and I heard this banging on the door'
Three years ago, he claimed he has always had contact with the other side.
'[The dead] just want to make contact and say hello,' he told The Sun. ‘I had [a ghost] in my house when I was living in Kingston Hill. My mum and dad were staying with me and I heard this banging on the door.
'I went to their room and said: “You were banging on my door?” and they said: “It wasn’t us.”
'There was a dog in the house freaking out too. The following day I heard this crashing noise and all the stuff had fallen in the kitchen. There was no logical explanation. There was no wind but there was definitely a presence. But I wasn’t afraid.'
This encounter resulted in an exorcism, Simon later revealed.
