Simon Cowell has faced some health challenges, particularly after two bike accidents within two years that left him hurt.
During an episode of the Today Show with his fellow America’s Got Talent judges Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum, along with host Terry Crews, he shared how those events changed his life.
In 2020, this TV personality fell off his e-bike in Malibu and had a similar incident on his bike in London in early 2022.
While promoting the competition show’s 18th season, he was asked about how these accidents affected his view on life.
“It was painful. It wasn’t great,” he mentioned. “But I was so unfit before the accident. And I didn’t realize how unfit I was until I had to do all the stuff afterwards.”
“And I’m like ‘My god!’ Things like that happen for a reason,” Simon added but insisted that he wouldn’t stop biking anytime soon.
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“I’m still going to stay on my bike; I’m obsessed with these things,” he said to the laughter of his co-stars.
The crash in 2020 resulted in a broken back while the next crash caused Simon to go to the hospital with a suspected concussion and a broken arm; he wore a wrist brace for weeks after.
These incidents motivated Simon to adopt a healthier lifestyle thanks to fiancé Lauren Silverman and mainly for their nine-year-old son Eric.
Talking with The Sun about how his e-bike injuries affected him, he said: “I thought about therapy for the first time when I broke my back because I felt very low.”
“I felt really down because I didn’t know how to explain it all to Eric. There were things we couldn’t do together. And I wasn’t sure if I’d be able walk again or play football with him.”
On Valentine’s Day in2014 , Simon and Lauren welcomed Eric into their lives; later on ,the star revealed that Eric gave him an amazing nickname after last summer’s bike accident.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge told Entertainment Tonight that when he got home from the incident feeling super “embarrassed.”
The surgery left him with metal rods and screws inside of his back. After returning home ,Simon explained,“He went ‘Dad you look like Iron Man.’ And i replied ‘Yeah I’m like Iron Man.’”
Since then ,Simon has been able make jokes about what happened too! He referencedhis first serious accident while on AGT backin June of21 .
In one family-friendly audition episode where they saw father-son duo perform dangerous Shaolin Kung Fu act,Terry asked Simon if he’d ever see himself doing something similarwith Eric .
“I sort of gotto point after breaking my back where walking around gardenwithhim seemedlikeabig deal,” Simonsaid jokinglyto them.“And now looking atthat going ‘maybe not so great!’”
