Simon Cowell is allegedly facing a long period of rehabilitation after he broke his back at the weekend.

The 60-year-old had to undergo five-hour surgery after he fell off his new electric bike at his mansion in Malibu, ruling him out of his Got Talent commitments for the immediate future.

According to The Sun, doctors have now warned Cowell that he will have to wear a back brace and have "intensive physiotherapy" as he gets back on his feet.

"Simon has a long and difficult road ahead," a source told the newspaper. "He has told friends and colleagues that he wants to be back at work immediately but they've had to remind him that this is a very serious injury and he needs to just rest and recuperate.

"It's going to take him weeks, and maybe months, to get back to where he was. And if ignores the doctor's orders then it will be very bad news for him long term. He was up in bed talking about deals and telly but he had to be told to relax."

Cowell could now miss most - if not all - of this season of America's Got Talent, although he is likely to be well enough to participate in Britain's Got Talent when it resumes next month.