An "overzealous" fan has allegedly broken into Simon Cowell's home.

The accused is said to have entered the 52-year-old music mogul's $14 million west London house on Saturday night through a downstairs window, before going to lie on his bed while Simon was in the lounge. The woman is believed to have been caught and detained by Simon's staff and security while they waited for police to arrive.

According to a source, The X Factor boss told a friend, "It was an absolutely terrifying experience. Seeing this woman standing there in my house was like something out of a horror movie. It was frightening but I'm going to take it as a warning. In some ways I've been lucky. You have to look on the positive side because it could have been a whole lot worse. I now know that I need to improve my security."

"It was a frightening experience. Simon's fine but shaken up. He didn't expect something like that to happen," a second insider said.

"Police were called at approximately 22:35 on Saturday to reports of a disturbance. Officers attended the address and found a woman had forced entry to the premises. She was arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to a west London police station," stated a Scotland Yard spokesman who confirmed the incident.

Leanne Zaloumis, 29, from south east London, was charged last night with one count of aggravated burglary. She is due to appear before West London Magistrates' Court today.