Amanda Holden has been much-loved by the British public for many years now. The Britain's Got Talent judge, 49, is known for her fabulous fashion style and great sense of humour on the show – but what else is there to know? Here's seven surprising facts you may not already know about the star...
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Amanda Holden's appeared on this hit 90s dating show
Amanda's first ever TV appearance was on Blind Date! Yes, that's right, Amanda appeared as a contestant on the famous show once fronted by Cilla Black all the way back in 1991. The then 20-year-old Amanda said she liked "mature men" and even said her dream man was Jack Nicholson. However, it wasn't meant to be as the male contestant ended up choosing another contestant. His loss, right?
Amanda Holden is trained in musical theatre
It seems Amanda is well equipped to judge the all-singing-and-dancing acts on BGT, as the star is classically trained in musical theatre. Amanda studied the subject at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in North London and has enjoyed stints in the West End as a result. She was even nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her role in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesAmanda received an Olivier Award nomination for Thoroughly Modern Millie
Amanda Holden once auditioned for EastEnders
After a brief stint as an extra in the long-running BBC soap EastEnders, Amanda then went on to audition for a more permanent role in the show in the 90s. She put herself forward for the part of Tiffany Raymond-Mitchell but sadly lost out to Martine McCutcheon.
Amanda Holden has appeared in these other TV shows
As well as a brief appearance in Albert Square, Amanda has appeared on many other shows you may have forgotten about. Her TV credits include: Kiss Me Kate, Hearts and Bones (alongside Damien Lewis) and Ready When You Are, Mr McGill next to Bill Nighy and Tom Courtenay.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesAmanda has been on BGT since it started in 2007
Amanda Holden has been on Britain's Got Talent since the beginning
Apart from Simon Cowell himself, Amanda is the longest-serving judge on Britain's Got Talent – having joined when the first show aired in 2007. She was there to offer a 'yes' to now world-famous stars like Diversity, Susan Boyle and Paul Potts. A film starring James Corden, One Chance, was eventually made telling the story of Paul's rise to fame via BGT and Amanda made a cameo appearance as herself.
Amanda Holden has been married twice
Amanda is currently married to Chris Hughes with whom she shares two daughters. But prior to her marriage with Chris however, the singer and actress was married to comedian Les Dennis. Amanda and Les married in 1995, but later split due to a rather public affair between Amanda and fellow actor Neil Morrissey. The couple eventually divorced in 2003, and now Amanda is happily married to record producer Chris.
© Photo: InstagramAmanda with husband her second husband Chris
Amanda Holden is a vegetarian
The actress has been a veggie since the age of 13 and has always been very vocal about animal rights. In 2018, Amanda posed for animal protection and rights company PETA as a mermaid to raise awareness of the treatment of dolphins, orcas and other sea animals trapped in captivity.
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