Simon Cowell will not return for the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ finals.
The 60-year-old music mogul – who recently underwent a six-hour surgery after breaking his back in a fall from his electric bike at his Malibu home – has been advised by doctors not to fly back to the UK to work on the ITV show, which begins filming in two weeks time.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Everything is fixed, he just needs healing time. Flying halfway across the world is not part of the plan and he has agreed to put his health first."
And plans to have Simon appear via video link have also been scrapped, with the insider explaining: "It was decided that the idea of having him judge the ‘BGT’ finalists via a link was just not feasible – nor sensible."
However, Simon is said to be planning to shoot a 60-minute one-off special alongside fellow judges Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams.
A source previously told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: "Simon is a total workaholic and even an accident as nasty as his won’t keep him off for long. He’s been working from his home in Los Angeles since the accident happened and is in contact with his team.
"The plans for this one-off special of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ have been in the pipeline for months and he is convinced he will be well enough to take his place on the panel."
The ‘BGT’ special is expected to air over the festive period and include some of the programme’s "best talent" from over the years.
The source added: "The show will feature some of the best talent from the start of the series in 2007. Simon has been told to take it easy but he much prefers to be busy.
"Plus, he loves working on ‘BGT’, so for him it’s something to look forward to."