British music mogul Simon Cowell has been caught on tape getting friendly with an XXX-rated porn star.

Cowell, who was romantically linked to British sex-film bombshell GEORGINA LAW, left sizzling voicemail messages for blonde Tabitha Stevens asking her to call him. Tabitha later went public with Cowell's love talk, playing it on the HOWARD STERN SHOW.

In the message, Cowell - best known for his acid comebacks on TV talent search shows Pop Idol and AMERICAN IDOL - is heard saying, "Hi sweetheart - it's Simon again. How are you? Um, sorry I couldn't talk earlier on. Um, I'm around. Give me a call back. You've got my number.

"I love your message (affecting a breathy, low voice), 'Hi, I will call you back.'"

Tabitha, star of such hardcore hits as DEEP MOUTH, says, "I would love to hook up with Simon. But at the time, we were both so busy our schedules just didn't allow for it to happen.

"We talked for a little while over the phone and I thought he was a really cool guy. I'm sure we would have had a great time."

Tabitha isn't the only member of the adult entertainment industry who caught Cowell's eye - Hustler model ILLANA LESA, who runs her own website, has also enjoyed exchanges with him.

She admits, "Simon and I played phone tag for a while. It just seemed that whenever I was in town, he was either busy or away. And then if he was in Hollywood, I'd be gone on the road.

'It just didn't work out, which was too bad because I think he's very sexy."

26/05/2003 09:28