Amanda Holden has broken her silence over claims of a feud between herself and This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday morning, the Britain's Got Talent judge denied reports of a dispute, referencing an article in The Sun which tells of a "bitter rivalry" between the two ITV stars.
© InstagramShe began: "The story in The Sun today about Holly and I is completely made up, full of contradictions and just utter rubbish. Sadly this means every other paper will now write it too. So I have to put this up for a few hours to try and add perspective and truth.
"Sadly strong and intelligent women have for far too long been pitted against one other when we should all be celebrated in our own right. What a surprise the article is written by a MAN.
© Getty"The 'rift' story now circulating as a result of this article - which I have woken up to this morning and was not checked for factual correctness - simply does not exist. There have been some huge assumptions made this week and everyone has feasted on them.
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"These type of articles need to stop. The language around women (in most pieces I read every day) is laughable. It's so different to how men are written about. Women are still expected to say nothing, suffer silently and just get on with it. And we do… mostly."
She concluded her post by saying: "These stories are there just to distract us from the actual news... We are becoming a world which is gradually being eroded of all its best qualities - humour, backbone and truth."
Amanda's post comes after she appeared to mock Holly's statement upon her return to This Morning. Holly gave an emotional address to the show's viewers on Monday, referencing the recent controversy surrounding her former co-host Phillip Schofield.
"Right, deep breath," the presenter said as she opened the show, before asking her audience: "Firstly, are you OK? I hope so."
Amanda shared a video to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday which poked fun at Holly's statement. Wearing a white jumpsuit similar to the dress Holly wore on the ITV show, Amanda said: "Hello, it is Tuesday, are you OK?" before going on to discuss her outfit.
In Holly's address, she said she felt "worried, shaken, troubled, let down and full of questions".
"You, me and everyone here put our trust in someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt that they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved," she continued.
"That is a lot to process. It's equally hard to see the toll it's taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and well being of everyone. I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that the show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other. From my heart, thank you for all of your kind messages."
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