'ERIC ALWAYS WANTS TO GET INVOLVED WITH BGT'

AS THE SMASH-HIT TALENT SHOW RETURNS AT LAST, SIMON COWELL TALKS ALL ABOUT HIS EXCITEMENT AND THE LONG-LASTING EFFECTS OF HIS BIKE ACCIDENT

- TONY COWELL

GUESS WHO'S BACK?

Fans of Britain's Got Talent will be pleased to see it finally returning to our TV screens this weekend after two years away due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It's been an even longer break for boss Simon Cowell, 62, as he suffered a serious back injury after an e-bike accident in 2020 that meant he was unable to join the judging panel that year.

Simon with son Eric and fellow judges Alesha, Amanda and David

Previous winner and Diversity dance troupe leader Ashley Banjo stepped in and, although Simon was pleased with his performance, he's happy to be back in the judging chair himself.

It's not been the easiest two years for Simon, who admits his accident was far more severe than people realised. He explains, "I didn't talk about it too much at the time. I kept a lot back. It was a lot worse than people thought. I had a lot of long-term nerve damage as well."

Still, the music mogul relished the time at home with his eight-year-old son Eric and fiancée Lauren Silverman - who happen to be huge fans of BGT, too.

Unfortunately he hurt himself again in February after another e-bike crash. Here, he gets candid about the extent of his injuries and gives an insight of what to expect on this year's show...

Hi Simon, how are you doing after your recent bike accident? We see you're still having to wear a wrist brace...

My surgeon told me have to wear it to protect myself from people knocking into me. So, it's almost healed but I'm just being extra careful. I have another three weeks before the brace comes off. So I should be fine for the BGT live shows.

Do you think about the first accident much now?