Simon Cowell has admitted that he regrets his over-indulgence in botox and cosmetic surgeries over the last few years. In a recent interview with The Sun, Cowell said that he “might have gone a bit too far” with the treatments. He also revealed that his son spurred him to finally kick the habit.
Cowell went viral after the 2022 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, where he was visibly recovering from a recent cosmetic treatment. He acknowledged that this was a bad look for him, and that at 62 years old he needed to scale back on such treatments. He said: “There was a stage where I might have gone a bit too far. I saw a picture of me from ‘before’ the other day and didn’t recognize it as me.”
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Cowell revealed that part of the reason he is leaving the Botox behind is his 8-year-old son Eric. He said “Eric was in hysterics” after one of his elective surgeries, and that helped Cowell himself realize how bizarre the treatments were. He felt like he looked “like something out of a horror film… Enough was enough. There is no filler in my face at all now. Zero.”
Cowell had previously discussed his efforts to get healthy for the sake of his son. The reality producer wants to live a long life and spend as much time with Eric as possible. To that end, he began a vegan diet in 2019. He also began to meter his alcohol intake. He has now revealed that that strategy is good for his skin and appearance as well.
“For me now, a lot of it comes down to healthy eating and drinking and tons of water,” he said. Cowell also discussed his two bicycle accidents โ one in August of 2020 and one earlier this year. In the first accident, Cowell broke his back in two places, necessitating a long recovery and rehabilitation period that took its toll on him. He admitted that this was a wake-up call for his personal health as well as his goals in parenthood.
“I considered therapy for the first time when I broke my back because I was very, very, very, low,” he said. “I felt very depressed because I didn’t know how to explain it to Eric [that] I couldn’t do all the things I wanted to with him. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to walk again, to ever play football with him.” He also added that he “was on a lot of painkillers” after the accident, but said that he forced himself to stop taking them as soon as possible. Cowell did not want to go “down that road.”
“I’m still wearing a back brace which I have to wear when I go out on my bike, and there are pretty big screws in my back, and that’s for life,” he said. “But I’m here, I’m alive. And I’m grateful.” He even said that his physical therapy jump-started a new interest in exercise that has done him wonders. He said: “I made a promise to myself I’d be fitter than I was before I had the accident. Sure enough, that’s what happened.”
Cowell remains a judge and executive producer on America’s Got Talent, and an icon in the competition reality TV world overall. Fans are not shy about poking fun at his appearance online, but many have also left supportive comments on his journey to better health.