Simon Cowell completes charity 10km walk 10 months after breaking back

Simon Cowell completed a 10km walk for charity on Wednesday, 10 months after breaking his back in an electric bike accident.

The X Factor impresario almost smashed his spine to pieces and was close to being paralysed when he came off his electric bike at his home in Malibu, California in August.

But after months of recovery, Simon proved he was back to full health as he completed the charity walk with his partner Lauren Silverman and their friends in Twickenham and Richmond in London on Wednesday.

He seemed in good spirits as he gave a thumbs up to photographers during the outdoor walk, which has raised more than $77,000 (£55,000) for Shooting Star Children's Hospices.

They completed the challenge alongside the charity's vice president Karen Sugarman in honour of children who have passed away after being supported by the hospice charity in their final days.

Speaking on U.S. TV show Extra about the accident earlier this year, Simon said, "When I saw the X-ray, I really nearly could have smashed my spine to pieces, so I literally wouldn't have been able to walk. I knew I'd broken my back the minute I landed... it was really, really kind of sudden and it hurt."

The 61-year-old underwent an operation and had metal rods and screws inserted in his back. He admitted he felt helpless during the recovery process as "you literally can't move" and "the pain was off the charts" but the incident inspired him to be fitter than he was before.

Also on Wednesday, Simon announced the launch of a new musical game show on ITV called Walk The Line. He will head up the judging panel for the six-part series, which will see musical variety acts being given the choice each week to cash out and leave or stay in the competition and play for potentially more money.