Simon Cowell forced to pull out of filming for Britain's Got Talent as he recovers from back surgery as ITV scramble to find a temporary replacement

Simon Cowell has been forced to pull out of filming Britain's Got Talent next month as he recovers from back surgery. 

ITV is now scrambling to find a temporary replacement for the music mogul, 66, ahead of the auditions in Blackpool. 

Fellow panellists Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI will be joined by a guest judge for the upcoming series which is set to air in Spring 2027. 

It has been reported that a male comedian is currently in talks for the gig. 

However, the guest judge won't be on the show for long as Production company Fremantle is planning on moving around half of the six filming days at the seaside resort's Winter Gardens to January, so Simon can still contribute as head judge.  

A source told The Sun: '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.'

It comes after Simon earlier this month withdrew from America's Got Talent filming in LA, where the surgery took place.

The Daily Mail has contacted Simon's representatives for comment.  

Simon broke his back in 2020 after being thrown off an electric bike when he was testing the vehicle at his home in Malibu, California.

He underwent extensive surgery after the shock accident including having a metal rod put in his back to stabilise it and he has overhauled his lifestyle in the years since.

Simon revealed last year that his surgeon feared he would never walk again following his near-fatal e-bike crash.

Speaking to Elizabeth Day on the How To Fail podcast, Simon revealed he 'could have died' in the accident and his surgeon warned him he might never walk again.

He shared: 'He showed me the X-ray and he said, "Look, I'm not going to lie Simon, I don't know if I can fix this, which means you probably won't walk and secondly, the operation could take 11 hours."

'They said the obvious - it could go wrong - and all I could think about was my family and everything. In that moment you kind of realise the most important thing is your health and don't do stupid things.'

The former X Factor judge said the horror accident was a major 'wake-up call' about his 'crazy' lifestyle and taught him to stop taking risks in life.

'It was a wake-up moment, which is I'm crazy,' he explained.

'It kind of happened for a reason because I thought I was fit but then when I had to do all the physio after, just walking, they make you walk very quickly, I pretty much couldn't move and then I started to walk a lot and thought, "Oh God, I was in a really bad place."'

Reflecting on the accident itself, Simon revealed he was thrown from his e-bike after it did a massive 'wheelie' due to the power of the throttle, and said he immediately knew he had broken his back.

'I shipped it in from England, couldn't wait to drive it. I was in the driveway and my son was there and I pulled the throttle, it did the biggest wheelie and it threw me like 7-8ft in the air,' he said.

'I landed on my back and the second I landed I thought "s**t, I know I've broken my back" because I could feel it.

'The first thing I did was "can I move my hands?", yes, "can I move my feet?", yes, OK, that's not too bad.'

Though his surgeon initially feared he would be paralysed from the accident, Simon says he is now fitter than he was before the crash.

He has since shed three stone and has gradually ditched smoking, which saw him have 80 cigarettes a day at the height of his habit.

In 2023, he told The Sun: 'I was so close to living the rest of my life in a wheelchair, it gives you a completely different outlook on life. In a positive way.

'It hurt - trust me - when it happened, but good things happened off the back of it.'

Simon said it led him to realise his health was 'more important' than anything else and he completely overhauled his lifestyle to find a better work-life balance.

The accident also made him focus on his family life with his partner Lauren Silverman, 49, and their son Eric, 12, and he also cut down on his work amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Simon previously smoked up to 80 cigarettes per day before reducing his use to just two each day in 2017 after falling down the stairs of his London home.

He used to work through the entire night, but he now refuses to work past 6pm or on his days off.