SIMON Cowell narrowly avoided being paralysed after breaking his back in a horror bicycle accident.
The 60-year-old star suffered numerous fractures with one just a centimetre from his spinal cord.
A friend of Simon’s told the Mirror: “He was in incredible, ridiculous amounts of pain and also in shock. His back was broke in several places, but he is actually very lucky.
“He fell flat on his back and the doctors say the impact missed his spinal cord by about a centimetre and it could have been a lot, lot more serious.”
The insider said Simon has had a metal rod inserted into his back and will remain in hospital for at least a few more days.
The X Factor boss successfully underwent a six-hour surgery overnight and is recovering well.
The music mogul was rushed to hospital last night after falling off his electric bike in Malibu, California.
The star’s plush US pad will be familiar to X Factor viewers who watched celebrity contestants audition in its garden last year.
A spokesman for the star told us Simon is “well” after the lengthy procedure.
While the Mirror reports that Simon is “under observation and is doing fine.”
Simon’s representative told People shortly after the painful incident that it happened in the courtyard of his mansion while he was with his family.
They reassured: “He’s doing fine, he’s under observation and is in the best possible hands.”
Just hours before, Simon’s girlfriend Lauren Silverman was also spotted riding on her non-electric bicycle along with their son Eric, six, in Malibu.
Lauren, 43, was seen wearing black exercise leggings and a black T-shirt, with a mask over her mouth and sunglasses.
Meanwhile Eric wore a helmet, mask and sunglasses to make sure he was protected on all fronts as he cycled with his mum.
Meanwhile Simon is due to return to America’s Got Talent next week, with the first live show set to air on Tuesday August 11.
The Britain’s Got Talent star has spent a year getting into shape after a health scare.
In December, he told how he had dropped four waist sizes.
But he has shed even more weight while continuing his healthy regime in lockdown in Los Angeles.
He decided to act after he injured himself in a fall down stairs at his London home in October 2017.
At the time, he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
The star blamed his injuries on his unhealthy lifestyle where he “lived like a vampire”, staying awake until 8am every day.
The bicycle incident comes days after it was revealed the music mogul will miss the Britain’s Got Talent semi- finals for the first time.
He will not be there in person due to a clash of filming schedules with the show’s US version caused by Covid-19.
A source revealed: “Simon is gutted to not be physically there for the semi- finals, but he’ll be there virtually, casting an eye over the talent and imparting his views in every show.
“He can keep an eye on David Walliams to make sure he doesn’t get too big for his boots while Simon is in the States.
“Normally, schedules mean Simon can do both but AGT’s dates haven’t moved while BGT’s have due to coronavirus.”
