Amanda Holden on the new season of Britain's Got Talent: 'We’re naughtier this year'

BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT star Amanda Holden says she’s standing up to the show’s male egos – with a little help from Alesha Dixon

Britain's Got Talent, judge, Amanda Holden, interview, Alesha Dixon, Simon Cowell, Kirsty NutkinsPH

Amanda Holden says she’s standing up to the show’s male egos – with a little help from Alesha Dixon

This year is shaping up to be the busiest yet for the multi-talented Amanda Holden. As well as returning to the judging panel of ITV reality show Britain’s Got Talent, which attracted 9.5 million viewers when it launched last month, Amanda, 44, also has an impressive schedule of other TV commitments to balance.

She’s fronting new ITV series Give A Pet A Home, in which a team of celebrities devote their time to rehoming animals at an RSPCA centre, and continues to fill in for Holly Willoughby on This Morning. 

She also reveals plans to star in a new BBC sitcom and launch a skincare range.

And somewhere between it all, she finds time to be mum to daughters Alexa, nine, and four-year-old Hollie, with her record producer husband Chris Hughes. 

Is there anything she can’t do?

Here, Amanda takes a well-earned break to talk to Kirsty Nutkins about Britain’s Got Talent, motherhood and her plans for the year ahead…

We’re aware that what we say or do will potentially make or break somebody’s dream

Amanda Holden

Are you enjoying being back on Britain’s Got Talent?

It’s an absolute no brainer of a job for me. It’s an incredible thing to be part of. We’re such a tiny island when you think of it, but we seem to have a never-ending supply of eccentricity, nuttiness and pure talent.

It’s already shaping up to be one of our strongest shows.

What kind of act would you like to see win this year?

I’m a stickler for variety in its simplest medium. I like ventriloquists, animal acts... singing is a huge part of the show, too, and I’d like to see a choir win. 

Is it nerve-wracking to be in that position of power, making decisions on a person’s future?

It’s not nerve-wracking but we do take our jobs seriously.

We’re aware that what we say or do will potentially make or break somebody’s dream. I’ve been in this business for so long – since 1992 – and I’ve auditioned a thousand times, so I know what it’s like to stand there in a sea of faces and be judged. 

Have there been any disagreements on the judging panel so far?

Alesha and I have been naughtier this year. We’re very much united against the two egos on either end! We do all get along on the panel but I think we’re very different to one another and that’s why it works. 

Who do you prefer judging alongside – David Walliams or Piers Morgan?

Oh God! I’m going to get in trouble here... Piers came at things from a different perspective, but I guess David is a better person to judge because he’s from the industry and he has been there and done it all. I think it’s more relevant that David is here.

Would you ever leave BGT?

When I first got the Britain’s Got Talent gig, I remember saying to my husband, Chris, that if I was still doing it in five years it’d be amazing. Nine years later my eldest daughter has grown up with it. 

If Simon offered me more, I would definitely continue. I would be mental not to. 

Britain's Got TalentPH

Amanda with fellow Britain’s Got Talent panellists David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell

Other than BGT, what’s the best show you’ve ever worked on?

I love doing This Morning. It has brought me so much happiness. The people I work with and the team around me, including Phillip [Schofield], have been so supportive and allowed me to be myself. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life. 

You made an inadvertent sexual innuendo live on air not long ago, which made headlines. Were you mortified? 

It was very embarrassing. It took me a few seconds to realise what I had said, whereas normally I’m a bit saucy and I’m well aware of what I’m saying. 

Have you been enjoying presenting your new show Give A Pet A Home?

It’s massively rewarding. The only snag is that I can’t imagine going home empty handed. I’ve been handling cats, dogs, rabbits and ferrets, all kinds of things, and it’s hard to leave them. I’ve always envied Paul O’Grady’s career and his show For The Love of Dogs, so it’s lovely to do. 

It’s been six years since you last acted (in Big Top), with the exception of Shrek The Musical. Why is that?

It’s a deliberate choice. Once you start filming dramas and series you have to be prepared to go to Manchester. Hardly anything gets filmed in London these days because it’s so expensive. And I can’t be away from my kids for weeks on end. 

How do you juggle your career with motherhood? 

I have amazing help and a brilliant family network. My mum and dad are there at the drop of a hat. They are incredible grandparents and are very close to both the girls. I came home the other day to find my dad in pigtails with full make-up on. He just sat there like that having a chat with me about my day, which made me laugh so much. He looked like Björk! 

Have you offered Simon Cowell any parenting tips?

No, he doesn’t need my help. He’s a natural with his son, Eric. He’s a great dad and a really funny one, although I don’t think there will be any rules in that house. He encourages naughtiness and misbehaviour.  

Do you fear getting older as a woman on TV and in the public eye?

The people I aspire to look like tend to be older women, like Robin Wright from House Of Cards. She has the fittest body on earth. Now, age isn’t a thing that is so relevant. I’m not frightened about it because I look at the people in the queue ahead of me and think ‘wow!’

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

We have a home in Los Angeles, so we’ll probably go there for the summer. Then, in the autumn, I have some presenting work in the pipeline and I’m also in talks to film a BBC sitcom. I’m working on my own skincare range, too, which I’m hoping to release by the end of the year. I’m up to my neck in work and won’t be able to lie down until Christmas!

Britain’s Got Talent, Tonight, 8pm, ITV

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