Simon Cowell has opened up about the terrifying electric bike accident that nearly changed his life forever. The Britain’s Got Talent judge revealed that his surgeon once feared he might never walk again after shattering his back in three places during the 2020 crash at his Malibu home.
Speaking on the How To Fail podcast, Simon said he was thrown around 7-8 feet into the air after his powerful new e-bike unexpectedly did a wheelie. He landed hard on his back and immediately knew something was terribly wrong. “I felt it. I knew I’d broken my back,” he recalled.
The impact also left him with a concussion and a broken arm, requiring multiple surgeries and the insertion of a metal rod in his spine. Doctors initially warned that the surgery could take 11 hours and there was no guarantee it would be successful. “They said I might not walk again,” Simon admitted. “All I could think about was my family.”
The crash served as a huge wake-up call for the TV mogul, forcing him to reevaluate his lifestyle and approach to risk. During recovery, even walking became a struggle, but the process changed his perspective. “I thought I was fit before, but physio showed me how far off I was.”
Remarkably, Simon has bounced back stronger than ever. He now cycles daily, saying it’s become a source of creativity and wellbeing. “That expression ‘get back on your bike’? I did it literally. I feel better now than I did before.”
Despite the pain and trauma, Cowell reflects on the accident as a turning point. “If I could rewind, I would go through it all again—because I’m in a better place now.”
