Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Diet, Health, Celebrity, TV and Film
Ella Scott
Simon Cowell has detailed his controversial ‘split’ diet, sparked by an e-biking accident in 2020 that put an ‘end’ to bad habits.
The 66-year-old is back in business, searching for the next One Direction in his new four-part Netflix series, Simon Cowell: The Next Act.
The show, which is streaming now, employs camera people to capture The X Factor icon’s real reactions during raw open casting calls, and also focuses on his life away from showbiz.
His fiancée, Lauren Silverman, and their son, 11-year-old Eric, feature in the reality show.
Advert
At one point, Cowell reveals an intimate detail about his approach to health and his strict diet.
One scene sees Silverman eating a salad, apparently prepared for her by his chef, Geoff Fisher.
The America’s Got Talent star commented on what the 48-year-old was eating, claiming his and his wife-to-be’s diets are completely opposite.
Advert
“This is how differently we eat,” Cowell said whilst buttering a crumpet.
In response, Silverman said “I’m so sorry. I’m so sad for you.”
The Syco Entertainment founder went on to claim that he would only eat ‘half’ of the breakfast staple now.
"I have to eat half of this now and the other half for dinner," he explained.
Advert
According to the Daily Mail, eating half of a crumpet is just the beginning of his ‘split diet’.
The outlet alleged that whenever he drinks a 90-calorie beer, he pours out half of it to make a shandy.
Diet changes first began after he broke his back in 2020 whilst riding on an electric bike near his home in Malibu, as per the outlet.
The incident put an end to ‘everything [that] was spiralling badly down before that’, with Cowell crediting his rehabilitation exercises to getting him to where he is today in his health journey.
Advert
He lost a whopping 60lbs during this time, and was completing hundreds of push-ups at the start of each day, as reported by Men’s Health.
“I’ve never been in this situation in my life where you literally can’t move,” he explained of the bike incident.
“The pain was off the charts. But you’ve got to stay positive. I made a promise to myself I’d be fitter than I was before I had the accident. Sure enough, that’s what happened.”
Advert
The Mail reported that during his initial health kick, he was eating just 1,000 calories per day.
To put that into perspective, the NHS advises that adult men should eat between 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day, depending on their age, weight, height, and activity level.
Two years later, Cowell’s progress was set back after he broke his arm in a second e-bike accident, this time in London.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, he said: “I’m fine. It was a stupid accident. It was just annoying mainly because I couldn’t ride my bike.”
To keep in shape, the father-of-one’s fitness routine includes lifting weights, going on walks, and getting out on his bike.
The Daily Mail previously reported that Cowell also does reformer Pilates to continue strengthening his back.