Simon Cowell pulls out of Britain's Got Talent filming due to recovering from spinal surgery

Simon Cowell has had to pull out of Britain's Got Talent filming because he is still recovering from spinal surgery.

The 66-year-old media mogul broke his back in an electric bike accident in 2020 and has undergone multiple operations since then, most recently a "routine" procedure last month.

And while he recovers from the operation, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI will be joined by a guest judge during the Blackpool auditions for the talent show, though production company Fremantle are planning to postpone around half of the six-day schedule to January so Simon can still be involved as head judge.

A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: “Simon is of course gutted to be missing the auditions, but it’s important that he rests up now so he can make a full recovery.

“It was a routine op that went well and he knows the team will find a fun guest judge to spice up filming and keep the audience on their toes.

“The current thinking is that producers will choose a male comedian to stand in for now, but decisions are being made currently.

“It’s quite last-minute, so a lot of talent is already booked up for that period.”