Written by Julie Burniston
09/09/2007

TV presenter Ryan Seacrest is America’s answer to Simon Cowell, but without the high-waisted trousers.

And the perfectly coiffed American Idol host, 32, manages to give as good as he gets when it comes to our Simon too (‘Think of your worst nightmare. That would be the rest of your life married to Simon,’ he quips).

In fact, could there be rivalry between the two? ‘There’s definitely a bit of envy there. I sometimes sense he looks at me and thinks, “If only I were 30 years younger and on this show and part of the generation that Ryan and the contestants are, then maybe this would be bigger and better for me.”’ Ryan jokes.

But what does he really think about Mr Cowell? ‘His teeth are a bit bright, aren’t they? But they come in and out. We were filming once, and we had to stop the audition for an hour while they put a new crown in his mouth. Really, he may be 50-something. Ha ha! But we couldn’t do it without him.’

It’s thanks to Ryan’s humour that he manages to make friends with the Hollywood A-list. His newest best buddies on the celeb circuit are the Beckhams. Since their move to LA in July, Ryan’s taken them under his wing. ‘I love David and Victoria,’ he says ‘They’re such a lot of fun. Victoria’s extremely hot and I love her dry sense of humour. They have figured out how to plug into Hollywood very quickly. Of course, I prefer to hang out with Posh, because it frustrates me that David is so perfect. Although he does sound a bit like Harry Potter at times.’

Ryan is pretty ‘perfect’ himself with his glowing white gnashers and American preppy look (‘I am relatively clean cut’). He’s a hit with the ladies, in particular Desperate Housewives’ star Teri Hatcher – although he won’t confirm or deny the rumours the pair were dating.

With his natty image and steadfast single status, rumours abounded Ryan might be gay, which he denies, but says he has ‘no problem’ with his gay fanbase.

‘Personally, I like a woman with hips and boobs,’ he laughs when describing his perfect laydee. So what about our Cat Deeley (who presents American Idol on ITV2 for the British audience)? ‘Cat is fantastic,’ says Ryan. ‘We’ve had dinner with mutual friends and she’s a lot of fun, a beautiful girl.’ Ooh, a possible romance, Mr Seacrest?

RYAN’S RED-CARPET STAR
‘My favourite Desperate Housewife is Eva Longoria. She’s a dear friend. When I’m on the red carpet I’m crammed between lots of journalists airing their shows, but Eva always comes and talks to me. And I know I can ask her anything – about her relationship, whatever. Tony Parker, her husband, is shy. He’s always with her, but doesn’t like the attention too much.’

RYAN ON BRITNEY SPEARS
‘Britney Spears is big news in America at the moment, due to the massive custody battle going on. I interviewed K-Fed (Kevin Federline, Britney’s ex) and, to be honest, I thought he was the more irresponsible parent. But that’s before these stories about Britney came out. I don’t know how it’s gonna shake down. She’s actually a very pleasant girl. But it’s no wonder that having so much success at such a young age has thrown her off course. I just hope whatever’s going on, she can get it back on track and have a great comeback.’