Will Simon Cowell be on the X Factor this weekend and when have judges missed shows in the past?
WE'VE finally reached the all-important X Factor live stages – but the head judge was conspicuously absent from the first two shows last weekend.
So where was Simon Cowell, what stopped him from attending and more importantly will he be back this weekend? Here's the full low-down.
Why wasn't Simon Cowell on The X Factor last Saturday and Sunday night?
After Simon's admission to hospital on Friday October 27, following an accident in his London home, he was missing from the Saturday show - with plans to appear on Sunday instead.
Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne's categories, the boys and girls, featured on Saturday 28 October, having originally been planned for Sunday.
However, on Sunday there was no sign of Simon either and Alesha Dixon replaced him on the panel.
A source said: “Doctors told him Simon would be too quick for him to return to work just 48 hours after a serious medical episode.
“So he’s getting so much needed rest and will be watching the X Factor at home with Eric and Lauren.
“Alesha knows what she’s doing and will be a good representative of Simon’s views.”
Will Simon be back on The X Factor this weekend?
The Sun exclusively revealed that Simon would be well enough to attend the shows this weekend.
He has been spotted looking fairly perky while out and about on an electric bike.
Viewers were moaning about his absence during last weekend's episodes, saying the judges were being "too nice", and it's likely Cowell won't want to disappoint them again.
What happened in the accident at Simon Cowell's home?
The Sun's Bizarre column exclusively revealed how Simon Cowell was stretchered away and rushed to hospital in a neck brace after an accident at his London home.
The 58-year-old is believed to have fainted and fallen down the stairs after fetching a cup of hot milk.
He had been at a Little Mix concert and had woken up at 6.45am, before an ambulance was called at 8am on Friday October 27.
Simon gave photographers the thumbs up as he was pictured returning home after his fall.
A source close to him said: "It’s been a scary morning. It was very early and Simon was going down his stairs to get some hot milk because he couldn’t sleep.
"He fainted and is thought to have fallen down the stairs.
"An ambulance was called and he was stretchered out of the house in a neck brace surrounded by worried aides."
He then spoke about his accident, saying: “They think I fainted because I had low blood pressure and so I have got to really take good care of myself to sort that out.”
When have X Factor judges missed shows in the past?
It's not unheard of for X Factor judges to miss shows, with stand-ins often drafted in to make up the panel.
During the auditions this year, both Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne were absent at various points.
Sharon was forced to pull out of the Edinburgh auditions due to a back problem, while a diary clash meant Nicole sat out the Manchester leg.
On both occasions, erstwhile Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon was on hand to fill in.
It's not the first time Simon has been missing during this series, either.
He was mysteriously missing for the first half of one of the auditions shows, with Louis Walsh telling cameras his boss was "running late".
The trio struggled on in Simon's absence, with Louis briefly assuming the mantle of head judge, before the impatient looking mogul finally arrived after reportedly getting stuck in traffic.
