Simon Cowell has broken his back in three places.

He missed being paralysed after falling off an electric scooter at his Malibu home.

The injury was just a centimetre from permanently damaging his spinal cord.

The entertainer spent six hours in surgery as doctors fused his bones and inserted a metal rod.

Simon, 60, was with his son Eric, six, and partner Lauren Silverman’s son Adam when the accident happened.

An insider told The Sun newspaper:

“He [Simon] was testing out his new bike and the power of it surprised him a bit.

“He fell back directly onto his back and immediately knew he was in trouble.

“He was in a bad way.

“It was a really, really bad fall – but he’s very lucky to have escaped with the injuries he has.

“Had he damaged the spinal cord he could have been looking at life in a wheelchair.

“But thanks to the doctors he is hopeful of making a full recovery.”

A spokesperson for Simon said:

“He has broken his back in a number of places in a fall from his bike whilst testing a new electric bike in the courtyard of his home in Malibu with his family.

“He was taken to hospital where they operated overnight.

“He’s under observation and is doing fine.”

The New York Post reported:

“It was a long surgery; they had to fuse his bones and implant a rod.

“But thank goodness he’s going to be okay and will have a few months of recovery.”