AMANDA Holden insisted Simon Cowell will return to Britain’s Got Talent next year after he broke his back in three places.
Amanda, 49, stood in as head judge on the recent series of the ITV show after Simon’s horror bike accident in Los Angeles last month.
Though she said she enjoyed the stint she promised her boss would be back leading the panel in 2021, due to his “extraordinary determination to get better”.
She told Good Morning Britain today: “Without a doubt, the best way to say it is how (Simon’s partner) Lauren is saying it. His will to get better is extraordinary.
“He’s very determined, he’s a fighter, we know that there is no way he will want to be seen failing or not to get better as quickly as he possibly can.”
“So, I know that we will see him next year.”
Amanda joked she’ll push for a payrise if Simon doesn’t return and donate the extra cash to theatres, whose staff have been out of jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.
She added: “I’m going to ask for parity of pay that’s only fair! And as a female I will think it’s only fair I’m on the same wage as him. And then I can donate it to theatres.”
The BGT final saw Jon Courtenay, a comedian and singer from Manchester, win this year’s series.
Amanda added during the chat: “I was totally thrilled for him. He said he was down to his last £500 in the bank so that money is going to be life-changing for him.”
Music mogul Simon turned 61 last week and his pal Terri Seymour decided to throw him a belated celebration to mark his special day.
He was seen for the first time since his horrifying bike accident in the video that was posted online last night.
In the video, Simon’s six-year-old son Eric and Terri’s daughter Coco, 5, are seen jumping up and down with excitement as they sing happy birthday.
Simon can be heard laughing in the background before the camera pans out to show him and partner Lauren Silverman sitting at a table waiting for the cake.
The BGT boss looked smart in a navy blue jacket, a plain white T-shirt and stylish circular glasses.
After embracing a new vegan diet which has seen him loose one and a half stone, Lauren joked: “The second cake that you’re not allowed to eat,” as he blew out the candles.
This is Simon’s first appearance since the beginning of August when HOAR revealed he was almost left paralysed after breaking his back in 3 places and missed his spinal cord by 1cm.
He was rushed to hospital and underwent six hours of surgery to fix his broken back after falling off of his electric trail bike.
In the summer it was revealed that Simon wouldn’t be able to work for weeks and would have to undergo intense physiotherapy to help him recover.
It was later reported that Ashley Banjo would be stepping in as a replacement judge on BGT so he could focus on his recovery.
