Simon Cowell was 'terrified' he'd become ill from working too much as he slows down

Simon Cowell has admitted that he became "terrified" of working so much that he would become ill, with him having now taken more of a backseat in some of his ventures.

The record executive, 62, is understood to have been desperate to spend more time with his young son Eric Cowell, eight, and prevent burning out as a result of his busy schedule.

Over the course of his career, he's launched numerous shows and founded media empire Syco - though he's said to be winding down it empire, including the X Factor not returning.

It's believed to be part of a strategy by the Britain's Got Talent (BGT) judge to counteract his "unhealthy addiction to work," with him having been concerned about this.

Simon Cowell has said he was concerned about 'burning out' from working too much (ITV)

The music mogul opened up about his anxiety to the Sun recently, revealing that whilst he remains on shows like BGT, he's taking a backseat when it comes to running them.

He explained during an interview: "I made the decision that my main job would be being on TV, not running a production company. It was just all becoming too much."

Simon candidly added that he was "very nervous about burn-out," with him assuring that he wasn't feeling unwell, but was simply "terrified that would happen" to him.

He's said to have wound down his media empire, with the X Factor not currently set to return (ITV)

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The father-of-one further commented: "I'm a great believer in doing something before something bad happens, rather than waiting for something bad to happen."

He said that he has thought a lot about such an approach over the last two years and has seen close friends "get burnt out," with him adding: "There's no coming back from that."

He remains on the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent (ITV)

Simon's new approach - which sees him remain on shows such as BGT, but take less of an active role behind-the-scenes - means he's on the panel for the latest series of the show.

He's joined by David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden on the ITV show, which returned for its new series last weekend - with it currently airing on Saturday nights.

Britain's Got Talent continues this Saturday (April 23) on ITV from 8pm. Catch-up now through the ITV Hub.

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