Amanda Holden has hinted at the real reason she married ex-husband Les Dennis – and also addressed her ‘date’ with Simon Cowell.
Les and Amanda married in 1995, when she was 24 and the Family Fortunes host was 42.
They split briefly in 2000, following reports about her affair with TV co-star Neil Morrissey.
However, Amanda and Les reunited but separated for good in 2002 before divorcing a year later.
Speaking with The Times, glam Amanda, now 52, reflected on her relationships with both her ex-husband and her Britain’s Got Talent boss.
Amanda Holden on Les Dennis marriage
TV personality Amanda has been married to current hubby Chris since 2008. They share two children together.
But in her chat with The Times, her breakthrough showbiz experience on Blind Date is brought up as an entry point for how she may have regarded Les.
Just 19 at the time, Amanda said during her appearance on the ITV series that her ideal man was actor Jack Nicholson, 33 years her senior.
And so, she was asked in the interview whether her marriage to entertainer Les was about “looking for a father figure”.
‘There is a sort of safety in a relationship like that’
Amanda replied: “I don’t know because I’ve never done therapy, but there is a sort of safety in a relationship like that.”
She added: “I was very young and I had a lot to learn about life.”
I was very young and I had a lot to learn about life.
Les himself has previously joked about a moment during their time together how the age gap in their relationship might have been perceived.
Speaking in 2019, he recalled one instance at their home in London when it was Grand National Day.
Les said during an appearance on Richard Herring’s podcast: “The plumber was there to fix the washing machine. And Amanda came running in and said: ‘We need to put a bet on.'”
As Les tells the story, he handed Amanda £10. But she suggested they needed to wager more – and so Les handed over £20.
Les went on with his anecdote: “And the plumber went: ‘Kids, eh?'”
Amanda on Simon Cowell ‘date’
Also in her interview with The Times, Amanda described showbiz mogul Simon as “godlike”.
But she also noted his most annoying habit is answering her Monday morning ice-breaker of “How was your weekend?” by raising a palm and dismissively such chat as “small talk”.
Nonetheless, the interviewer ponders this reaction by asking whether it is true the BGT colleagues once ‘dated’.
Amanda responded: “No, he teases me it was a date but it wasn’t. We went out for dinner and I took my best friend.”
Read more: Amanda Holden ‘looks 30 years younger’ in bikini photo as she marks 52nd birthday
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.