Simon Cowell was rushed to hospital in a neck brace and on a stretcher around 7.30am today after having fainted and falling down the stairs in his London home.
It happened when he was enroute to his kitchen to get a cup of hot milk to help him sleep.
Photo credit: Peter Jordan - The Sun
He was found by members of his security team after they heard a loud noise and emergency services were called to his £12million West London home.
Paramedics arrived at the five-bed detached house shortly afterwards, but did not initially move Simon due to fears he may have broken his back.
Photo credit: Peter Jordan - The Sun
Simon was fitted with a red head brace — used by paramedics when they fear a patient has suffered spinal injuries — and attached to a spinal board before being stretchered into an ambulance.
He was then taken to Chelsea and Westminster NHS Hospital where, after being admitted, he was given a CT scan on his brain and MRI scans on his spine, neck and back.
He was driven back home eight hours later with what appears to be a slightly swollen face.
As he was making his way inside his home he said “I fainted and fell down the stairs. I've got concussion. I feel better now”. Although he might not be attending the first X Factor live show tomorrow night, Simon commented “I will be back but I don't know about tomorrow'.
Even after this scare he appeared to be in good spirits giving a thumbs up and thanked fans for their concern.
Lauren Silverman was in New York at the time of the incident but is on her way back to London to be with Simon and their son Eric.
The good news is that he is expecting to be back on the X Factor live shows later this weekend.
A source close to Simon told The Sun: “There were some rumours that Cheryl was going to step in for Simon but this isn’t going to be the case".
"Simon is expected to be fine for Sunday’s show, but right now he needs as much rest as possible – every one knows he’s a workaholic and no one can stop him from returning. They’ll switch the singers which means they’ll be panic for some contestants but everyone totally understands.”
Update: Simon's groups have been swapped to Sunday night.
X Factor starts at 8.20pm tonight. 7pm on Sunday.
