Simon Cowell grants Christmas wish for terminally ill Irish brothers

He plays up to his Mr Bad Guy personality on screen, but off-camera, Simon Cowell is a big softy at heart.  The music mogul made this Christmas one to remember for three Roscommon brothers when he personally invited them to watch The X-Factor in London. The Naughtons (Archie, age nine, and five-year-old twins George and Isaac) suffer from Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, an incurable neuromuscular disease. People with Duchenne's rarely live past their early twenties. Cowell first became aware of the brave trio when he presented them with an award at The Pride of Ireland Awards via video link. He was so impressed with their lust for life that he extended an invitation to the whole family, who spent a magical evening backstage at ITV with Simon, his partner Lauren and their little boy Eric. The boys also got to meet Cheryl Fernandez Versini. Desperate to find a cure for the disease that affects all three of their children, mum and dad Paula and Padraic set up the charity Join Our Boys, which has raised an incredible €850,000 for a pioneering clinical research trial. Help them reach their target of €1.2m by donating what you can here.