Simon Cowell Gives Health Update Almost 1 Year After Breaking His Back in Bike Accident

Almost a full year after Simon Cowell broke his back in a bike accident, the America’s Got Talent judge is opening up about his health — specifically, how it has improved since the crash. During a virtual visit to Australia’s Today Show, the 61-year-old addressed his full recovery.

“I feel fitter than I have done for a long time because I am exercising now,” he said, echoing previous statements he’s made about how the accident affected his overall health. “I’m happiest I’ve ever been in my life before. So, you know, I don’t really know what to say, actually. Just things are good.”

In February, Cowell told Entertainment Tonight that he was “healthier now than I was a year ago because of this back injury,” which he attributed to all the rehabilitation that comes with a serious injury. “So I have to walk, like, five, 10 miles a day, so I actually feel better than I did a year ago,” he added.

But the rehab process wasn’t easy, Cowell warned. “The first four weeks were the hardest,” he said at the time. “Because you feel kind of helpless, and it was the first time in my life I’ve ever felt helpless.” He said he was “bored and frustrated” and “in so much pain if I’m being honest with you.”

The TV personality and media mogul broke his back in several places in August 2020 while riding an electric bike in the courtyard of his home. The injuries required an extensive, six-hour spinal surgery to correct, as well as quite a lot of recuperation time to heal.

These days, Cowell feels well enough to back behind the judges’ table of America’s Got Talent — and even pulled a terrifying prank on his co-host, Sofia Vergara, on this week’s episode. He enlisted the help of his favorite “comedy danger act” from Season 11 to trick her. Pretending to be auditioning for the new season, Ryan Stock and Amberlynn Walker performed a few crossbow trick shots before inviting Cowell and Vergara up on stage. They blindfolded the reluctant Vergara and fooled her into thinking she had accidentally shot Cowell with a sharpened arrow! When Cowell revealed that it was all a prank, Vergara was relieved — and furious.

America’s Got Talent is four weeks into its season, so fans are looking forward to seeing how Vergara will get her revenge on Cowell. America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.