'AGT' Judge Simon Cowell Feels Better Now Than Before His Bike Accident

America's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell is back and better than ever.

Last summer, while testing out his new electric bike, the AGT executive producer fell and broke his back.

"It could have been a lot worse. When I saw the X-ray, I really nearly could have smashed my spine to pieces, so I literally wouldn’t have been able to walk," he later told Extra. "I knew I’d broken my back the minute I landed."

He added, "It was really, really kind of sudden and it hurt."

Though Simon knew that he should have stayed still to avoid getting hurt even more, he ended up crawling into his house to get his girlfriend Lauren Silverman's attention. "I'm lying there and I'm kind of passing out," he said. "It was surreal."

After immediately being rushed to the hospital, he underwent five hours of surgery and spent months recovering. Because of his accident, Simon was forced to temporarily leave the show during season 15.

But before going offline to fully focus on his rehab and physical therapy, Simon took to Twitter to thank his nurses and doctors and explain in his own words what had happened. "Some good advice...If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time. I have broken part of my back. Thank you to everyone for your kind messages," the former American Idol judge wrote.

In February 2021, he shared with People that he was feeling much better and was ready to resume his judging duties.

"I've got to be honest with you, it wasn't that bad actually breaking your back," he told the magazine. "I mean it wasn't great for 3-4 weeks but after that you get through it. I had to do so much exercise now. I actually feel better than I did before the accident."

When is Simon Cowell coming back to AGT?

Simon will come back to AGT during the season 16 premiere on June 1. Ahead of AGT’s new season, Simon shared how excited he is to return to the NBC talent show. “I cannot believe it’s season 16 of @AGT and I cannot wait for you to see the premier on June 1st on @NBC. And as always, thank you for watching. #AGT,” he tweeted.

“Always my favourite moment on @AGT is the Golden Buzzers and there are some surprises this year!” he added.

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