TV personality Amanda Holden has been loved up with her husband Chris Hughes for more than two decades, but her first marriage was less enduring. The Britain’s Got Talent star, who is back on our screens for the latest series of the show alongside fellow judges Alesha Dixon, Simon Cowell, Bruno Tonioli, and guest judge KSI, has become a familiar face on our screens during her 18 years on the panel.
While it may be her job to support the talented contestants as they take to the stage, behind the scenes Amanda’s husband Chris is her biggest cheerleader. “We’re happier than ever. We’re not particularly romantic, but we are always present for each other. Chris is my backbone. He’s just The One. I couldn’t do anything without him and the children because otherwise what’s the point in it all really?,” she told OK! magazine in 2023.
However, prior to her relationship with Chris, the Heart radio presenter was married to comedian Les Dennis. The pair, who had an 18-year age gap between them, met while performing in The Sound of Music in 1993.
The actress got married when she was just 22-years-old in 1995 and was married for eight years. During their relationship, Amanda ended up having an affair with Men Behaving Badly’s Neil Morrissey in 2000.
Amanda and Les decided to give things another go, but they called it quits in 2002. Amanda has always spoken highly of Les and revealed that this period was the “worst time of her life”.
She told the Daily Mail in 2009: “I brought it on myself, I appreciate that, but nothing will ever be as bad again. It was a very dark time. It got to the point where I felt I could hardly breathe. Les proved to be my saviour. Ironically. So the person I’d hurt the most in the world was the one who was there for me.”
Previously, Amanda revealed she doesn’t think women have affairs for no reason. “I don’t believe women have affairs for no reason. Neil rightly or wrongly got loads of stick. I feel like it was my fault – I was the one who was married,” she said.
She added to Good Housekeeping in 2013: “I want to change the general perception of him, as he was very caring and very loving and very worried about me because I lost so much weight. He used to cook for me and look after me and babysit the dogs.”
Eventually when things calmed down in 2014, Neil said sorry to Les. Neil shared his apology on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories. He said: “I feel sorry for how the situation was dealt with and I feel sorry for how emotional Les seemed to become. It was very difficult for him and for that I’m very sorry.”
Neil made the comment when he was asked by Piers if he had ever apologised to Les, to which he replied: “No, I didn’t. I’m not positive over what there is apologise about. I don’t know what the whole situation was, to be perfectly fair to everybody.”
When asked why he has never spoken about it before, he shared: “I think enough was said about it. This was a very short fling. I didn’t have representation at the time, in terms of PR and this was the first time I’d really come under the cosh.”
Meanwhile in 2023, Les spoke fondly of his former wife. “Amanda was in the papers recently, saying some nice things about me,” he told The Sunday Times. “That was very kind of her. Maybe with time she has been able to look back and see things differently.”
He added: “We’re not in touch but I am happy that she’s happy. I can watch Britain’s Got Talent without getting angry. To be honest it’s like watching a different person, someone I’ve never met. All the hurt that has happened has been healed.”
Since their relationship, Amanda has found everlasting love in her record producer husband Chris Hughes – who she shares daughters Lexi and Hollie with. The pair met in 2003 and dated for seven years before getting married in 2010. Meanwhile, Les married Claire Nicholson in 2009 and the pair have been happy together ever since.
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