Simon Cowell, 60, broke his back falling off an electric bike, needed surgery

BGT Judges seen leaving their Manchester Hotel

Not only am I shocked that I haven’t gotten coronavirus, I’m shocked that I haven’t injured myself in lockdown. I’ve been trying to stay active by walking/hiking, and my gym opened back up in June, so I’ve been weight training and riding the stationary bike. I worried that after several months away from the gym that I would injure myself, or that I would hurt myself on a hike or something. But I haven’t. I considered buying a bike but there aren’t many good places to bike around here, and apparently everyone is buying a bike these days. Simon Cowell is one of those new bike owners. He apparently got an electric bike and… he already had a really bad fall. The fall was so awful that Simon BROKE HIS BACK.

Simon Cowell is on the mend. The America’s Got Talent judge and executive producer, 60, was hospitalized on Saturday after a minor accident in Malibu, California.

“Simon has broken his back and will be having surgery this evening,” a rep for Cowell tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Simon had a fall from his bike on Saturday afternoon whilst testing his new electric bike in the courtyard at his house in Malibu with his family. 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.”

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Cowell has been spending quality family time with his girlfriend Lauren Silverman and their 6-year-old son Eric as well as her 14-year-old son Adam from a previous relationship. In May, Cowell told PEOPLE that he had been spending the quarantine with his son at home. “We definitely have more family time together now. We watch movies in the evening, play together, read books, comics, everything,” he said at the time.

And the father of one also shared his exercise routine. “Cycle, walk, swim, push-ups. I haven’t cheated on my diet,” he said. “I feel really healthy at the moment.”

[From People]

“…As well as her 14-year-old son Adam from a previous relationship…” Lauren’s son Adam is from her first marriage, the marriage Simon homewrecked. She was a married woman when she and Simon began their affair and she got pregnant with their son Eric. It is what it is, but lord, that was messy. As for the broken back… it’s no joke and I feel sorry for him a little bit. That must have been a really awful fall. Can you even imagine? He probably got up and thought he might be able to walk it off but no, he broke his f–king back. And he’s 60 years old, which means that his body will have a harder time healing anyway.

Anyway, Simon did have surgery on Sunday – his back surgery lasted 5 hours (insane) and they inserted a metal rod into his back. He’s apparently warning of the dangers of e-bikes now.

Simon Cowell seen at the 'And Juliet' musical press night at The Shaftesbury Theatre, London, UK - 20 Nov 2019

Simon Cowell makes a trip to Whole Foods

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, WENN.

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23 Responses to “Simon Cowell, 60, broke his back falling off an electric bike, needed surgery”

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  1. SomeChick says:

    I’m always lowkey amazed at these accidental pregnancies among the fancy people.
    Haven’t they ever heard of birth control? It’s not like they can’t afford it!

  2. Emma33 says:

    Whenever I see a post about Jennifer Garner I scroll down to see her shoes…with Simon it’s his jeans. Why?! What hideous body defect is he hiding in those jeans??

    • Kat says:

      Lifts.

      • ClaireB says:

        Is that why his body looks so weird to me? I couldn’t figure out why it looked so strange in the pic with just his torso and above. I thought maybe he had an eating disorder that made his body shape funny, but I wonder if it’s lifts throwing his pelvis and chest forward.

    • Flamingo says:

      Tap shoes?

    • Chica1971 says:

      He needs a makeover. The jeans and shoes as well as the facial hair to hide plastic surgery scars.ughh

    • Queen Meghan's Hand says:

      I actually like the jeans with the heels–I mean ‘lifts’. Very boyfriend-jean effect. In fact that whole outfit in the last featured photo would look really good on a womxn.

    • K says:

      He’s got a curvy shape. Which is fine, but not as common on men. As a straight woman, I don’t find him attractive at all, but to each their own.

  3. Darla says:

    A rod in the back, 60 years old, he’s done.

  4. Also Ali says:

    I had two herniated discs last year and the pain was excruciating. Back surgery at 60, that’s no small matter.

    We all just got new bikes and they were back ordered for weeks. Biking and hiking is really all there is to do right now.

  5. Cat says:

    A few years ago I was in a bike accident, a car hit me very slightly (and it was my fault!). I broke my L1 vertebra in three parts and two doctors were adamant that I should have surgery, but a third one said a back brace would do. I wore it for two months straight and luckily healed very well, but it could have been much worse. I wish Simon a speedy recovery!

    • BeanieBean says:

      Gosh, that sounds scary! I ‘only’ broke off the tip of my elbow (from the ulna), and that was excruciating enough. They repaired it with a pin the following week (swelling needed to go down, first).

  6. Flamingo says:

    I’ve never been on an electric bike, but I did get on an electric scooter about 3 years ago when they started showing up everywhere. I was on it for maybe 30 seconds, went to use the breaks and they didn’t work. I broke pretty much the entire left side of my body. Nine surgeries and a year of PT later I could finally walk again. From then on I decided to keep my feet planted on the ground, no bikes, rollerblades, skateboards will ever be in my future.

    • Noodle says:

      Holy cow, @Flamingo! How awful for you! I see people blasting by on the e-scooters and now e-bikes, and it scares me how fast they can go. An acquaintance just bought e-bikes for her 4 and 6 year old sons, and I won’t let my son ride his bike with them because they are reckless and wild on them. Your story demonstrates how one little mistake can have terrible outcomes. I’m glad you’re doing better now, though!

      • Flamingo says:

        I had no idea how dangerous they are. I thought they were just like the razor scooters from the 90’s. They most certainly are not. My husband is an orthopod at a big university hospital and says every weekend, pre COVID, there was a bloodbath in the ER of drunk kids on Byrd scooters. Lots of broken limbs and head lacerations. My advice is to not let anyone that you care about get on one.

      • Sparky says:

        I’m in Santa Monica and the electric bikes and scooters are everywhere and at least 50% flout traffic laws. Covid has been hell on the SM economy a good portion of which is tourist focused but I do NOT miss the idiots riding their scooters against traffic, adult sharing with a kid and the kid w/o a helmet — all of which are illegal.

    • BeanieBean says:

      Wow, Flamingo. That settles that then, I’m not going to try one (I had been thinking about it). Glad you made it through out the other side.

  7. You Must Be Joking says:

    Get well soon, Simon. 😥

  8. Marigold says:

    I fractured my back and my leg in a horse riding accident maybe 18 years ago. I’ve still got scars on my leg. My back was the easiest to get over, but my leg hurt so bad as it healed. I don’t recommend either!

  9. lucy2 says:

    Their kid is 6 already? Whoa.
    Not a fan of his at all, but I wish him a speedy recovery. That had to be painful, and it’s still a scary time to need to go to the hospital or get surgery.
    A friend of mine had a rod put in, and she’s recovering pretty well.

  10. Valiantly Varnished says:

    Hold on…let me dig in my pockets for some sympathy…nope. I got nada.

  11. april says:

    I’m not a fan of Simon, but I feel sorry for him that he broke his back. Hope he gets well soon,