Simon Cowell’s health crisis forced him to take sick leave from ‘X Factor’

London: Simon Cowell is said to have suffered a devastating collapse this summer, as the strains of his professional and personal life became too much to handle.

He had to withdraw from filming auditions for the US X Factor when his lifestyle saw him change into a “weird vampire.” Stricken Cowell had to be put on a strict detox regime to give him the strength to battle his “demons.” His doctor in Los Angeles told him to remove all supplements and health aids from his life and quit smoking, the Sun reported. Cowell, 52, was bedridden for a week, cutting himself off from friends, colleagues and even the demands of top TV executives. He is said to have confided in X Factor pal Louis Walsh: “I don’t want any more tablets and pills. I’m cutting out the lot, including cigarettes. “I desperately need peace. I’m craving normality. I’ve got to work out my demons and come out of it. “I have to get back to where I was years ago. I had to stop reading texts at three in the morning and making calls later and later. I wanted peace,” he said. ANI