Britain’s Got Talent’s Amanda Holden has opened up about the challenges of staying impartial during her stint as the host for the new Netflix reality series, Cheat: Unfinished Business.
The show brings together eight former pairs who parted ways over cheating allegations to see if they can mend their broken bonds. With relationship guru Paul C. Brunson from Married At First Sight UK at her side, they aim to guide these estranged lovers towards resolution.
Reflecting on her own past marriage troubles, which ended following an affair with actor Neil Morrissey, Amanda revealed she sometimes found it tough to stay unbiased.
Speaking candidly, she confessed: “Oh my God it was very hard for me to sit on the fence.
“I would be the auntie and pop in and out. Trying to be sort of, not judging, because we all make mistakes and there are good people that have made bad choices,” reports the Mirror.
During an interview on The One Show, Holden delved into her experiences on Cheat, noting: “It was an extraordinary thing to be part of because it really digs in. Paul C Brunson is the therapist, guru and all-round god, and is just extraordinary in it.
“He sort of digs and gets people’s truth out, making them confess to each other and giving them all some sort of closure. There are so many stories in there that some of the girls don’t know their partners were definitely cheating and then there’s scales of what you think cheating is,” reports the Mirror.
She reflected: “The end result is that you have 16 people leave there that are so different to how they went in. That’s what I find so heart-warming and brilliant about it.
“Yes you watch it to get the gossip and the salaciousness and the juicy factor. But every single person who went in has learnt something.”
Amanda also admitted that the show had positively affected her own marriage, which has been going strong since 2008; she and her record producer husband Chris Hughes have a rock-solid relationship lasting over two decades.
She was particularly taken by the guidance provided on the show, remarking: “I was in awe of Paul’s advice because it’s so brilliant and succinct. You can listen to it all day.”
In jest, she mentioned: “So I was really nice to Chris when he came out to filming.”
Commenting on the central topic of the programme, Amanda said: “It [cheating] is a sensitive topic and I think it’s a topic everyone can understand. It’s about good people who have made bad choices.”
Wrapping up her thoughts, she expressed her reverence for the significant impact of the show: “Some of those people haven’t had the answer for 10 years. So, it was amazing to be part of that process and to witness the truth coming out.”