True love at last for Simon gal

The love of Simon Cowell's life couldn't be any happier planning a huge summer wedding she hopes will ease painful memories of her previous journey down the aisle.

Makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy, who won the heart of the acid-tongued "American Idol" judge, had shed years of tears after she married an affluent Southern California rug merchant in 1988 -- a loveless union arranged to be her best path out of poverty, according to London's Mirror newspaper.

Erlene Garcia, 44, who was married to Hussainy's older brother, said she recalls how sad the 19-year-old Hussainy was on the day of her wedding to Ahmad Shah Zahiri.

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2nd SHOT: Mezhgan Hussainy has fallen for Simon Cowell, after her loveless marriage to Ahmad Shah Zahiri.

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"She was saying, 'I'm not in love with him. He makes me sick. I have to quit school,' " Garcia told the newspaper.

"I told her, 'You don't have to go ahead with this. You are an American citizen.' But she told me, 'You are wrong.' "

Friends of Hussainy frequently used the word "disgusted" to describe her longtime feelings toward Zahiri.

"At the end [of the wedding], Mezhgan and Ahmad Shah sat at a large table and were given huge numbers of fancy gifts, including gold bracelets and rings. She was draped in them," Garcia said. "I have never seen a sadder picture in all my life."

At the time, Hussainy was a recent American immigrant, having fled the Taliban with her family from Afghanistan. They lived in a poor neighborhood of Los Angeles, and she wanted to continue her education.

But that dream ended after marrying Zahiri, who ordered her to quit school and take a job as a secretary at his office.

"She would get so upset," Garcia said. "She would cry for hours and hours."

The marriage ended eight years later, when Zahiri reportedly walked out on her.

Zahiri, now 49, did not return calls for comment yesterday.

Following the split, the beautiful Hussainy moved back in with her parents and got work as an underwear model.

She eventually scored a job as a makeup artist on the Fox hit "American Idol."

That's where she met Cowell. They began dating months after he and TV host Teri Seymour ended their six-year courtship in November 2008.

Now Hussainy is orbiting in Cowell's A-list universe.

"All of a sudden, she was mixing with big stars, and it made her very happy," said Eva Hayes, a close friend of the bride-to-be.

The tamed playboy Cowell, 50, has fallen hard. This past weekend, he told TV host Piers Morgan that he'd found Miss Right.

"Love is something that is quite confusing," Cowell said. "You just know when you've found somebody special."

david.li@nypost.com