He's been one of the most recognisable men in showbiz for the past 20 years but fans were confused as Simon Cowell returned to their TV screens on Saturday night. As Britain's Got Talent made a comeback after two years away because of Covid-19 viewers thought that the music boss looked 'unrecognisable.'
Simon, who was replaced by Diversity dancer and choreographer Ashley Banjo in the 2020 series after breaking his back in a horror bike accident, recently told how he'd had all filler removed from his face after going 'a bit too far'. And he has embraced healthy eating and drinking lots of water.
He told The Sun that enough was enough when his eight-year-old son Eric was in 'hysterics' after he saw a 'before' picture of his dad. And Simon didn't even recognise himself. "There is no filler in my face at all now. Zero," he said.
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Fans took to Twitter to comment that Simon, who shot to prominence in 2002 as a judge on Pop Idol, was looking very different as he took his seat on the judging panel. @ceedee__asked: "Oh Simon… what’s going on Doesn’t even look like him anymore!" And @kateoriordan19 asked: "Simon Cowell.. what have you done to your face?"
@Dearyme7 tweeted: "No idea if he's smiling or crying. His eyes look sad." @missmouthymk2 asked: "What’s happened to Simon cowell?? Is his face ok??" and @steventhilton63 questioned: "What's happened to Simon Cowell's face?"
Simon, the owner of entertainment company Syco, is set to marry his partner of 10 years Lauren Silverman later this year. Earlier this year he broke his arm after falling off his electric bike near his home in west London over two years since his previous accident on an e-bike.
In August 2020, the 62-year-old broke his back and had to undergo six hours of surgery following a fall from a bike he was testing at his house in Malibu. Following his latest accident, Simon told ITV News that the "wheels just went under me" after he turned a corner in the rain.
He said he "doesn’t remember much" about the crash but shared his gratitude for the passers-by who stopped traffic so he could get help. And he was more concerned about facing the wrath of Eric who signed his neon cast and drew on it pictures of their family dogs.
"The only thing that scared me, genuinely, was when I was coming back from the hospital knowing that my son was waiting for me to tell me off, " he said. "It was like when I was a child and I was afraid of going home when I did something wrong. It was literally that and I got the biggest telling off."
Simon's accident came just day after he wrapped up auditions on the upcoming series of Britain's Got Talent.
Eric was filming him when he toppled off the two-wheeler during the first accident in Malibu. And Simon, who now wears a metal rod in his back, admitted sinking into depression during his recovery when he was bed-bound for a month.
