Simon Cowell’s ex says crazed fan could have killed her

LONDON - Terri Seymour, ex-girlfriend of music mogul Simon Cowell, is seeking a restraining order against a woman she claims tried to strangle her.

Seymour, who is host of American Idol’s Extra TV spin-off, said she was attacked from behind outside the TV studio in Los Angeles.

The 35-year-old insists that she could have been killed in the attack by former security guard Janice Thibodeaux.

In the application for a restraining order, made at LA’s County Superior Court, Seymour says that former security guard Thibodeaux “put her in a headlock, wrenched her neck and choked her with the full force of her 200lb frame”.

The 35-year-old insists that she could have been “injured or killed” if Thibodeaux had not been restrained by nearby cops.

In the papers, Seymour also said the woman was “feeding from the publicity of the attack” and feared the fan “will again assault and harass” her.

Thibodeaux said that she decided to attack Seymour because she was upset after watching Cowell jokingly choking fellow judge Paula Abdul on the American Idol final last week.

“I wasn’t cool with Simon Cowell choking Paula Abdul on the show last week and with her crying out ‘Help’ as he did so,” the Sun quoted Thibodeaux as saying.

She added: “Nobody said anything about that - so I wanted to confront him about it because that is not appropriate behaviour, is it?”

Thibodeaux said that when Cowell did not appear outside the studio, she attacked Seymour instead.

Cowell said: “Terri was extremely shocked by it all. It could have been someone with a knife. The woman should be in jail. I’ll be very, very cross if she’s let off.” (ANI)