Amanda Holden

This article is about the actress. For the librettist, see Amanda Holden (writer).
Amanda Holden

At Collars & Coats Gala Ball at Battersea Evolution, October 2014
Born Amanda Louise Holden
16 February 1971
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Residence Richmond, London, England
Nationality British
Education Swanmore College
Occupation Actress, presenter, singer
Years active 1991–present
Agent Troika Talent
Television Wild at Heart
Britain's Got Talent
A Night of Heroes
The Door
Superstar
This Morning
Give a Pet a Home
Spouse(s) Les Dennis (m. 1995–2003)
Chris Hughes (m. 2008)
Children Alexa Hughes
Hollie Hughes
Parent(s) Frank Holden
Judith Holden (née Harrison)
Relatives Jan Holden (Great Aunt)
Website
Official website

Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971)[1] is an English actress, singer and presenter, best known as a judge on ITV's Britain's Got Talent since the show began in 2007.

Holden played the role of Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart (2006–2008) and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award. More recently she has presented various television shows for ITV including Superstar (2012), This Morning (2014–present) and Give a Pet a Home (2015–present).

Career

Television

Holden's first television appearance was as a contestant on game show Blind Date in 1991.

From 2006 to 2008, Holden appeared as Sarah Trevanian in three series of ITV's Wild at Heart co-starring Stephen Tompkinson.

Holden's other TV credits include three series of the comedy Kiss Me Kate with Caroline Quentin and Chris Langham, three series of the ITV's The Grimleys, Celeb with Harry Enfield, BBC series Hearts and Bones with Damian Lewis, the Jonathan Creek episode "The Problem at Gallowes Gate" and a Boxing Day special Marple opposite Geraldine McEwan and John Hannah. She also co-starred with Bill Nighy and Tom Courtenay in Ready When You Are, Mr McGill, Jack Rosenthal's comedy drama.

Holden is currently a judge on Britain's Got Talent along with Simon Cowell, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon. She joined the show in 2007.

She has appeared on various British series such as Smack the Pony, EastEnders, Hearts and Bones, Cutting It and with Harry Enfield in comedy series Celeb.[2]

In 2009, Holden appeared as Lizzie, the Ring Mistress in the BBC sitcom Big Top. In April 2009, it was reported that the US network CBS had offered Holden the job of one-time guest presenter on The Early Show, a daytime talk show. On 1 June 2009, she appeared with regular presenters Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez. Holden has since signed up with CBS as a British correspondent for The Early Show.

Since 2009, Holden has co-presented A Night of Heroes: The Sun Military Awards annually on ITV with Phillip Schofield. In January 2010, she presented her own three-part series on ITV, Amanda Holden's Fantasy Lives.

In 2010, Holden co-presented The Door with Chris Tarrant. In 2011, Holden narrated the documentary The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song on ITV and on 6 July 2012, she guest presented Lorraine.

In 2012, Holden presented talent show Superstar on ITV. On 24 March 2014, she hosted an episode of the Channel 4 show Dispatches about the treatment for stillbirths and miscarriages.

From 22 September to 18 December 2014, Holden filled in as a co-host on This Morning with Phillip Schofield during Holly Willoughby's maternity leave. She took a short break in January and February 2015 to record the Britain's Got Talent auditions before returning to the show on 2 March 2015.[3]

Amanda presented a six-part factual series for ITV called Give a Pet a Home which worked alongside the RSPCA finding homes for animals. The first series began airing on 15 March 2015.[4]

Theatre

Holden has appeared in several stage musicals and in 2004, was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the West End production of Thoroughly Modern Millie,[2] which closed earlier than expected in June 2004.[5][6]

Holden finished playing the role of Princess Fiona in the original West End production of Shrek the Musical, which began on 6 May 2011. The show opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 14 June 2011.[7] She starred with Nigel Lindsay, Richard Blackwood and Nigel Harman. Holden departed the show on 3 October 2011, ten weeks earlier than planned, to focus on her unborn child and was replaced by Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh. For this role, Holden won the WhatsOnStage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[8]

Film

In 1996, Holden played Pamela in Intimate Relations. In 1999, she appeared as a shoe shop assistant in Virtual Sexuality. In 2014, Holden voiced a character in the film Pudsey: The Movie.

Writing

In July 2009, Holden became a gossip columnist for the News of the World'.[9] In October 2013, Amanda released her autobiography called "No Holding Back" which became a Sunday Times Best Seller.

Other work

From 2010 until 2012, Amanda appeared in television commercial adverts for supermarket chain Tesco. Since 2012, Amanda has appeared in the television commercial adverts for Danone Oykos low fat yoghurt.

In 2015, she was the new face of the Alpen Brighter Morning Challenge.[10]

Personal life

Although born in Portsmouth, Holden spent much of her childhood in Bishop's Waltham, living in an end of terrace house on Cunningham Avenue next to Tudor and Lloyd until the age of 13 when she moved to Waltham Chase with her family.[11] She married comedian Les Dennis in June 1995. They had a temporary split in 2000 when Holden's affair with actor Neil Morrissey[12] was exposed in the press, before eventually separating in December 2002 and divorcing in 2003. Around this time, she alleges that she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed "famous comedian" at a public event.[13]

On 20 January 2006, Holden gave birth to her first child with fiancé record producer Chris Hughes.[14] She married Hughes at Babington House,[15] Somerset, on 10 December 2008 with former Formula One racing driver David Coulthard acting as best man. After a miscarriage in 2010, she suffered their son being stillborn at seven months in 2011.[16] On 23 January 2012 she gave birth to their second daughter despite medical complications.[17]

Holden campaigned to keep a Sainsbury's out of Bishop's Waltham. Residents of her hometown later accused her of a double standard in November 2010 when she signed a deal with Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain.[18]

Charity

Holden fronted Everton's breast cancer awareness campaign, sporting a limited edition baby pink club shirt, the colour of breast cancer awareness.[19] In September 2011, Holden was sponsored to bake a cake for every child in the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

On 13 April 2008, Holden ran the London Marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes, in the name of the Born Free Foundation,[20] having collected public and celebrity sponsors online.

In 2013, she became a celebrity ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, following her work with Pedigree's 'Buy One, Feed One' campaign that she, along with Paul O'Grady have been supporting together. O'Grady is also an ambassador for Battersea.[21]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Genre Role
1994 EastEnders TV soap opera Carmen
1998 Jonathan Creek TV drama Petra (2 episode)
1998–2000 Kiss Me Kate TV sitcom Mel
1999–2001 The Grimleys TV comedy drama Geraldine Titley
2000-2001 Hearts and Bones TV drama Louise Slaney
2002–2005 Cutting It TV drama Mia Bevan
2003 Eternal Rectangle
Ready When You Are, Mr McGill One-off TV drama Police officer
2004 Mad About Alice Sitcom Alice
2006–2008 Wild at Heart TV drama series Sarah Trevanion
2007— Britain's Got Talent Talent show Judge
2009 Out of My Depth
Big Top Sitcom Lizzie
2009— A Night of Heroes: The Sun Military Awards TV award ceremony Co-presenter
2010 The Door Game show Co-presenter
Amanda Holden's Fantasy Lives TV series Presenter
2011 The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song One-off TV documentary Narrator
2012 Lorraine Lifestyle programme Guest presenter
Superstar Talent show Presenter
2013 Compost Corner: Christmas Special Children's TV show Voice of Compostetta
2014 Dispatches Current affairs Guest presenter
2014— This Morning Daytime show Co-presenter
2015— Give a Pet a Home[22] Primetime show Presenter
Guest appearances

Film

Year Title Role
1996 Intimate Relations Pamela
1999 Virtual Sexuality Shoe Shop Assistant
2013 One Chance Uncredited
2014 Pudsey: The Movie Voice

Television advertisements

Year Title Description Role
2010-2012 Tesco[23] Supermarket chain Herself
2012— Danone Oykos Low fat yoghurt Herself

References

  1. ↑ "findmypast.co.uk". Search.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Amanda Holden Biography". officialamandaholden.com. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  3. ↑ "Christine Bleakley and Amanda Holden return to ITV’s This Morning to co-host with Phillip Schofield in 2015 | presscentre". Itv.com. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  4. ↑ http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-joins-forces-rspca-brand-new-show-give-pet-home-hosted-amanda-holden
  5. ↑ "Thoroughly Modern Millie Posts Closing Notices". whatsonstage.com. 3 June 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "Modern Millie Cast Defends Holden???". whatsonstage.com. 10 June 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "Amanda Holden to star in Shrek musical". BBC News (BBC). 30 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "Full List: 2012 Whatsonstage.com Award winners". Whatsonstage.com. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  9. ↑ Hyde, Marina (7 July 2011). "Did the News of the World target Amanda Holden before giving her a job?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  10. ↑ http://alpenmornings.co.uk/amandas-challenge.html
  11. ↑ "Britain's Got Talent star Amanda Holden comes home (From Daily Echo)". Dailyecho.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  12. ↑ "Holden and Dennis marriage ends". BBC News (BBC). 27 December 2002. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  13. ↑ Brian Logan (2013-10-15). "Amanda Holden reveals sexual assault by 'famous comedian' | Stage". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  14. ↑ "Amanda's Baby Named Already". Sky Living. Showbiz.sky.com. 23 January 2006. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  15. ↑ Sunday Times, 10 January 2010.
  16. ↑ This much I know: Amanda Holden
  17. ↑
  18. ↑ Russell, Tara (4 November 2010). "Amanda Holden accused of double standards over Bishop’s Waltham store plans". Dailyecho.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  19. ↑ "Pink Everton 07/08 Umbro charity football shirt". Footballshirtculture.com. 7 October 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  20. ↑ "Flora London Marathon – Amanda Holden Runs Wild for Born Free!!". Justgiving.com. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  21. ↑ Hooper, Abi (2013-09-13). "Paul O’Grady and Amanda Holden team up in aid of rescue dog campaign with pedigree | Showbiz". Closer Online. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  22. ↑ http://www.reveal.co.uk/lifestyle/news/a633448/amanda-holden-to-host-tv-that-will-transform-celebs-into-rscpa-volunteers.html
  23. ↑ http://www.retail-week.com/tesco-christmas-tv-ad-stars-amanda-holden/5018830.article

External links