SIMON Cowell has confessed he is nervous to work with wild and “unpredictable” Mel B again as she is set to star alongside him on his latest show.

The TV mogul told The Sun he will need “more than a crash helmet” to cope with the return of Scary Spice to the America’s Got Talent judges’ panel.

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Simon spoke at last night’s America’s Got Talent finalCredit: Getty

He says he’s nervous about Mel B’s return to the panelCredit: Rex

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The TV mogul has been a victim of the former Spice Girl’s antics on previous showsCredit: Rex
Simon smirked as he detailed how he expects Mel to go wild as the talent assessor for the new NBC prime time series AGT: Fantasy League, which will premiere in early 2024.

The talent show judge has been a victim of Mel’s antics from being drenched in water to a verbal dressing down on Iive TV shows.

However the 63-year-old insists that he was keen to have the Leeds lass back on the panel after Sofia Vergara was unable to return to the upcoming show which films over the next couple of months in LA.

Asked whether he is nervous to battle it out for acts against Mel to win the new format, Simon confessed: “You know what Mel’s like, I mean, she’s very unpredictable, very competitive.

“However, that was part of the reason why I was excited that she was going to come on the show.

“I mean, Sofia, we did ask her, but she couldn’t do it. And when we spoke about who would be the best fourth judge, everyone said, Mel.

“She’s a lot of fun and she’s really smart. She did such a great job with the Spice Girls and you don’t know  what to expect with her.

“So it’s going to be interesting.”

Asked what preparations he is planning he grinned: “Probably more than a crash helmet.”

Cowell says that while he expects more drama in the upcoming show – he remains a huge Spice Girls’ fan.

“ I love that group. I mean, for me, I think they were arguably the best girl band of all time, and Mel was a big part of their success.

“I mean, like I said, she’s really, really smart and off camera. She is a great person. Really, really, really nice.

“But she’s also funny. And like I said, unpredictable. And that’s what makes her fun to work with.”

Cowell also revealed how his position as the cruellest man on telly is being replaced by his fellow judge comedian Howie Mandel – despite being nicknamed Mr Nasty over two decades ago.

Howie was booed for his comments about some contestants this year came under fire for his jokes about Vergara’s love life.

“I love it. He deserves it at times,” Simon said.

“I could have killed him last night when he said something to my golden buzzer along the lines of, ‘Well, if it was just a singing competition, you’d win, but it’s not’.

“And it’s like, you know what? Shut up. I just don’t want your opinion right now.

“However, we are very competitive. And the good thing about how he is, if that’s how he feels, he’s expressing it. And it is quite nice to see someone else getting booed for a while.”

Adrian Stoica and his dog Hurricane were crowned winners of the 18th season of AGT in last night’s finale.

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Mel will replace Sofia Vergara, centre, who was unable to take part in the new show.Credit: Getty