Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman bring glamour to charity ball

Simon Cowell and his partner Lauren Silverman were among the celebrity guests at the glamorous Shooting Star Ball on Friday night.

Comedian Julian Clary, singer Rick Astley and the wife of the late TV presenter Sir Bruce Forsyth, Lady Wilnelia Forsyth, also attended the event, in aid of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

X Factor boss Cowell – who is currently presiding over a celebrity version of his long-running talent series – kept it simple with a grey suit and white half-unbuttoned shirt.

Silverman looked sleek in a deep red, figure-hugging gown with a fishtail hem on the red carpet at the Royal Lancaster Hotel.

Lady Wilnelia, who was joined by her son Jonathan, oozed glamour in a cream gown with a fluffy wrap.

Cowell became vice president of the charity in 2015, having supported it since 2003.

This year’s event celebrated 15 years of the Shooting Star Ball, and was hosted by Clary.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices offers care and support to babies, children and young people who have life-limiting conditions, as well as their families, throughout London and Surrey.

The charity largely relies upon government funding and the generosity of its supporters to keep its service – which costs £10 million a year – running at its current level of care.