Amanda Holden's Biography

Amanda Holden's Early Years

Amanda Holden was born on 16 February 1971 in Bishops Waltham, Hampshire.

According to a BBC press release for Mad About Alice, Amanda Holden "would treat her mum, sister and stepdad to regular shows – making her diva-style entrances wrapped in a pink blanket emblazoned with the words 'Dancing Queen'.

At 17, Amanda Holden left home to study at London's Mountview Drama School.

In 1990 she was an unsuccessful contestant on dating game show "Blind Date".

Acting

Holden had roles in New Tricks, EastEnders, The Bill, Goodness Gracious Me and Jonathan Creek.

More significant parts followed as Mel in Kiss Me Kate and as Miss Titley in The Grimleys, as well as Mia Bevan in Cutting It and in the comedies Celeb and the aforementioned Mad About Alice.

Amanda Holden also starred in The Hunt, Hearts And Bones and Happy Birthday Shakespeare, where she had a brief affair with co-star Neil Morrissey.

In 2016, Amanda Holden was as Miss Pentangle, the headmistress of Miss Pentangle’s Academy of Witches in CBBC’s The Worst Witch.

In 2017, she was cast in the West End show Stepping Out.

Personal Life

Holden had married TV personality, Les Dennis, in 1995 but they announced their separation at Christmas 2002, soon after Les Dennis had appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, declaring he wanted their marriage to work.

She had an affair with Neil Morrissey. Then she got back together with Les Dennis but they split again after two years.

Although much of Amanda Holden's work has been on television she acted in the 1995 film Intimate Relations and won an Olivier Award nomination for her lead role in the stage show Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Amanda Holden along with the likes of Julian Clary and Pamela Anderson has supported People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) in their campaign for a bearskin ban.

In November 2004 Amanda Holden announced her engagement to music producer Chris Hughes and in January 2006 Amanda gave birth to a girl - Lexi.

Amanda Holden and Chris Hughes married in December 2008.

In 2012, she gave birth to a second daughter, Hollie.

In 2016, she was featured on Who Do You Think You Are? and it emerged that her grandfather Frank Holden survived the sinking of the RMS Lancastria by German bombers in 1940.

In October 2019, she broke her leg in an accident.

Britain's Got Talent and other work

In 2007, along with Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden became a judge on ITV's Britain's Got Talent presented by Ant and Dec.

In 2010, it was announced that Amanda Holden would play Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical in London's West End in 2011.

In January 2012, Amanda Holden gave birth to Hollie Rose. It was a difficult birth because of a haemorrhage due to a pre-existing condition of placenta previa.

In July 2012, Amanda Holden hosted the ITV1 show Superstar.

In 2016, Holden became the only judge to appear in all the first ten series of Britain's Got Talent.

Also in 2016, she became the host of I've Got Something to Tell You on UKTV's W channel.

In 2023, the BBC broadcast Amanda Holden and Alan Carr's The Italian Job, a series following Amanda and Alan's exploits renovating two one euro properties in Sicily.