Why Simon Cowell Thinks Marriage is Bad Business

By the end of the week we will know the final six men and six women contestants on Fox's smash hit American Idol (NWS). All singers will be all vying for a prized recording deal with Clive Davis’ J records (SNE). The winner won't sign that contract until May, but one Idol star already announced he is anti-contract, well anti-marriage contract, anyway: Simon Cowell. Despite dating television correspondent Terri Seymour, 33, for five years, he has no plans to tie the knot. “I don't believe in marriage, certainly not in this business,” Cowell told The Mirror, citing fears of ending up in contentious legal proceedings, like Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. “The truth is that you get married and in a year or two they clean you out! It's just not going to work.”

The 48-year-old grumpy judge has assets to protect, with five estates—two in Los Angeles, one in Barbados, one in London and a lavish spread in Dubai. But he doesn’t have to compromise wedded bliss to secure his fortune. If you want to protect your individual assets, consider a prenuptial agreement– something Sir Paul didn’t do–to securely walk down the aisle. Whether you are keen on a prenup or the thought makes you cringe, with divorce rates near 50%, it’s a logical thing to consider before saying I do.

Saying the p-word no longer has to be taboo. “Most people today are pretty comfortable with [a prenup] because both sides are generally working and there’s more equality in incomes today,” says Steven Stolar, of Stolar & Associates, in Los Angeles, Calif. “I’ve been writing prenups for 23 years, and I’m finding more and more couples where each side wants it.”