Simon Cowell, creator of “America’s Got Talent,” and one of the most notorious “American Idol” judges of the past, has broken his back.
The 60-year-old injured himself Saturday while at his home in Malibu, California.
He was trying out a new piece of workout equipment when he was hurt, according to Cowell’s spokeswoman.
“Simon had a fall from his bike, testing his new electric bike in the courtyard at his house in Malibu with his family,” she said. “He hurt his back and was taken to the hospital. He’s doing fine. He’s under observation and is in the best possible hands.”
Cowell’s representative noted that he broke his back in “several places” and would undergo surgery on Saturday night, USA Today reported.
In a May interview with People magazine, Cowell said that he’s been very intentional about committing to an active lifestyle.
“Cycle, walk, swim, push-ups. I haven’t cheated on my diet,” he said. “I feel really healthy at the moment.”
Cowell, who has also served as a judge on “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor,” has been quarantining amid the coronavirus pandemic with longtime girlfriend Lauren Silverman, 43, and their 6-year-old son along with her 14-year-old son from a previous relationship.
“We definitely have more family time together now. We watch movies in the evening, play together, read books, comics, everything,” he told the magazine at the time.
Cowell was previously hospitalized in October 2017 after fainting and falling down stairs at his London home, The Sun reported.
He attributed the accident to an unhealthy lifestyle at this time, noting that he “lived like a vampire” with minimal sleep. The incident and his family motivated Cowell to make some changes. He recently told The Sun he’s lost 60 pounds and dropped four waist sizes after sticking to a strict diet.
“Sometimes we get a reminder that we’re not invincible, and this was certainly mine,” Cowell said, according to the tabloid. “They think I fainted because I had low blood pressure, and so I have got to really take good care of myself to sort that out. After all, I am a dad and have more responsibility than ever.”
Cowell said he’s been eating lots of salads and vegetables and still allows himself the occasional beer.
“I changed my diet and I’ve not looked back since. You feel better, you look better,” he said. “I cut out a lot of the stuff I shouldn’t have been eating, and that was primarily meat, dairy, wheat, sugar — those were the four main things.”
But, he added, “The only difficult thing is when [my son] orders a pizza. That’s the number one thing I miss.”
Cox Media Group
