Simon Cowell was "addicted" to working through the night.
Simon Cowell on Loose Women
The music mogul was hospitalised last year after falling down the stairs of his London home and he believes his health scare was a result of pushing his body too hard and not getting enough rest.
He said: "I call it a wake up call because I think sometimes your body tells you you're working too hard, for me it was the late nights, 2-7 in the morning.
"You get addicted to it because it's quiet, but it's so unhealthy.
"It wasn't a big deal what happened but it was a bit embarrassing, a bit of an oops moment. It was like having an MOT, in a strange way I'm kind of glad it happened."
The 58-year-old star - who has four-year-old son Eric with girlfriend Lauren Silverman - is a patron for Together For Short Lives and admitted visiting their children's hospices is a much more joyful experience than he initially expected, and now he is a father, it's even more profound.
Speaking to Ayda Field in a pre-recorded interview on UK TV show 'Loose Women' - during which he was joined by Eric - he said: "I met the charity before I had kids, I remember the first time to see one of the hospices, for some reason in my head was this image of wards, black and white and grey, quiet, sad - it's gonna be difficult.
"But I got there and it was strangely one of the happiest places I've ever been. These kids, some of their conditions are really bad but what they've done for them and their families, they've created this magical place...
"When I had Eric, you look at it way more deeply than before because you just go, 'How the hell do you cope with it?' "
And Simon is hopeful Eric will join him in his charity work as he gets older.
He said: "A lot of the kids from the charity come to the shows, so he comes to work with me and met some of the kids.
" He's very good, he gets it, he's kind, and as he gets older, of course he gets more and more involved."
Tagged in Ayda Field