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Britain’s Got Talent have been forced to postpone the first of the auditions for the new series after judge Simon Cowell fell ill.
They were due to kick off at the Hippodrome theatre in Birmingham on Thursday but the day has now been cancelled due to Simon’s ill health.
Simon felt unwell in the last 24 hours. Judges often miss the odd audition because they don’t feel great – Simon, for example, has long suffered with migraines.
A show insider told the Sun: ‘Simon felt unwell in the last 24 hours. Judges often miss the odd audition because they don’t feel great – Simon, for example, has long suffered with migraines.
‘But it was decided, as this was the first audition of the series, it was best to postpone – so we could launch with everyone on the panel. He’s on the mend now – and hoping to be fighting fit for tomorrow.’
A BGT spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances today’s filming of Britain’s Got Talent has been postponed.’
Simon previously suggested he is still suffering from the painful medical issue after first opening up about it last year.
He shared how he suffers from debilitating migraines when he worried fans after being forced to miss a couple of auditions during filming.
Simon wears a pair of red-tinted glasses to protect his eyes while shooting in the studio under bright lights for long periods of time.
A picture which was shared by Simon at the time, showed the judges reuniting at the BGT auditions as filming for the new series began.
Simon was wearing a pair of the coloured lens glasses in the snap, suggesting he was still struggling with migraines a year on.
In February 2024, Simon took to his Instagram as he explained to some ‘concerned’ fans that he needs them for health reasons.
He finished off saying: ‘Next week we are filming BGT in Manchester – I look forward to seeing you then. PS. This is why I wear these glasses!’
Sharing a shot of him wearing the glasses while on the judging panel, he wrote: ‘I just found out according to the internet, I have a ‘mystery illness’.
‘For anyone concerned, I missed two auditions at the end of one day, two weeks ago, because I do get migraines after long days in the filming lights.’
Last month, Simon was widely mocked for his ‘awkward’ clapping while walking through the ‘spirit tunnel’ entrance on the Jennifer Hudson show.
As crew members lined the corridor and sang about Simon, 65, in the tune of The Greatest Showman, the America’s Got Talent judge clapped along.
Simon reached the end of the corridor and joked, ‘Can I do that again’ before walking on set.
The BGT star sat down with host Jennifer, who asked, ‘Did you enjoy the spirit tunnel Simon?’
He replied: ‘I absolutely loved that, when they told me about it, it is seriously the best way of coming onto a show, seriously do you mind if I steal it for AGT’.
‘Oh you know what, if you invite us to do it for you,’ Jennifer said.
‘I think it’s brilliant. I want to do it twice, I might do it on the way back,’ Simon said.
However, as the talk show shared the fun video to X – formerly known as Twitter – fans joked about Simon’s ‘awkward’ clapping.
They wrote: ‘New clap style unlocked; What on earth? Was that? Kangaroo arms lmao; Why them hands doing that after the clap? lol what is that?!’
‘Is this his first time clapping? Why is he clapping like that?’
‘He looks like an ai deepfake of himself’; ‘I swear can’t even explain that clap lmao’; ”Are his arms stuck to his body looks kinda weird’;
‘Why is he clapping and then folding his fingers inward??? Simon blink twice if you need help!; This was awkward feel free to delete; What’s with his hand when he claps.’
It comes as Simon made sure he had his workout equipment in hand as he arrived at the America’s Got Talent set in Pasadena, California earlier this month.
The star, who previously revealed he does 100 push-ups a day to get the perfect torso, cut a casual figure in his workout gear.
He wore a signature dark grey, fitted T-shirt to show off his hard work, and teamed it with baggy cut-off shorts.
Simon overhauled his lifestyle after breaking his back in 2020 when he crashed his electric bike near his Malibu home and now has regular sleeping and exercise habits and has lost more than 20lbs.
He has stated in that past that his training regime consists of doing exercises at home and in his office.
Simon once explained: ‘I’d do 100 press-ups before I get in the bath in the morning, then at work after a meeting, I’ll shut the door and do more.’
He clutched on to his Perfect Push-up handles which are said to take the pressure off wrists and elbows, increase muscle activation and maximise results.
Flashing a smile, Simon took some time to greet fans who had patiently waited outside the studio in the sun.
He has candidly discussed his three stone weight loss in the past and confessed he’ll sometimes indulge in a plate of beans of toast to avoid dining in restaurants.
The America’s Got Talent Judge stressed he hasn’t ‘had a gastric band’ and instead said his weight loss is down to a drastic diet change after overhauling his eating habits.
Simon added that a doctor warned he’d had ‘the worst diet he’d ever seen,’ and he’s ‘stuck’ to his new regime by cutting out pies, red meat and gluten.
During an interview with The Sun, Simon said: ‘No, I haven’t had a gastric band! Wouldn’t there be scars?’
The TV personality admitted he went to see a doctor in Harley Street who specialises in a certain kind of diet.
He added: ‘He did my blood work and pee and all the rest of it, and a month later the results came in and his words were, ‘You have the worst diet out of all the clients I have ever seen in my life — you have a schoolboy’s diet from the 1960s.’
‘It was just pies. So he sent me a list of things I can’t eat, and that included red meat, dairy, sugar and gluten. And I pretty much stuck to it,’ he explained.
Simon revealed that when he goes out for dinner now he rarely orders anything as he insists he’s not a big eater.
