Amanda Holden has opened up about sensing early issues in her relationship with ex-husband and former Coronation Street actor Les Dennis, right from the start.
In her autobiography, No Holding Back, the Britain’s Got Talent star recounts her initial encounters with the Liverpool-born actor after meeting in 1993, admitting she felt overwhelmed by the sudden attention: “From day one, though, I felt as if no one else understood and that all eyes were on me for being with him.”
Amanda describes how Les’ established fame was a stark contrast to her own experience, making the adjustment challenging: “Les was a successful family entertainer and well liked by the public. As well as appearing in prime-time TV shows, and end-of-the-pier farces, he’d been on the Christmas pantomime circuit for years. Everyone seemed to love him and he was often recognised in the street. I’d never experienced fame before.”
Their paths first crossed during a production of The Sound of Music at Bournemouth’s Pavilion Theatre, leading to their romance and subsequent marriage in June 1995. However, the union crumbled following Amanda’s affair with Waterloo Road’s Neil Morrisey, becoming public in 2000, and ultimately resulting in divorce from Les in 2003.
Both celebrities have since found new love following the end of their marriage. Les met his current wife, Claire Nicholson, in 2005 and they later tied the knot and had two children.
Five years after her split from Les, Amanda married record producer Chris Hughes and they have two children together, Alexa ‘Lexi’ Louise Florence and Hollie Rose.
In addition to her personal life, Amanda has made a name for herself in the broadcasting industry over the past two decades, appearing on shows like Britain’s Got Talent and even co-hosting ITV’s This Morning for a brief period.
Tonight, she will be back on our screens in Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Job, where she teams up with comedian Alan Carr to renovate run-down properties in the picturesque southern Spain.