From Blind Date contestant to Britain’s got Talent Judge. Amanda Holden has been on our screens for what seems like forever. In that time she has gone through many changes of image, culminating in her “wardrobe malfunction” a couple of weeks ago at the BGT semi-final.
“Hello Cilla. My name’s Amanda and I’m from London,” were the words that launched her career. The fresh-faced 19-year-old (who is actually from Portsmouth, not London) was a giggly teenager who professed her love for older men, in particular Jack Nicholson. Her pitch to the bachelor on the dating show named Barnaby – “can I call you Barney?” – was cringe-worthy but it gave Holden the breakthrough she craved.
Appearances followed in sitcoms like “Kiss me Kate” and the comedy-drama “The Grimleys”, in which Amanda developed her trademark blonde bob and smouldering sexuality. She was perfectly cast as the sexy teacher Geraldine Titley.
One episode featured her (in Gordon Grimley’s dreams) telling the class “I’m here to teach you everything you’ll ever need to know about successful lovemaking”. This left the assembled class of pubescent teenagers riveted to the spot. Ms Titley, dressed in basque, stockings and little else, then beckons Gordon to the sofa. Unfortunately, that is when he wakes up.
Amanda married comedian Les Dennis in 1995, her wedding photo strangely reminiscent of her Blind Date appearance. By this time, developing her character from “The Grimleys”, she was building a reputation for being “naughty”. Her naturally flirtatious manner was to cause problems later in the relationship. They survived the issue of a sex tape, allegedly featuring Ms Holden.
Stories abounded of her “naughtiness” and she wasn’t too quick to deny anything. It was all good publicity.
Her affair with Neil Morrisey eventually led to the collapse of her marriage but Ms Holden carried on regardless and re-married in 2006. By this time she had been given the part of Sarah Trevanion in the ITV drama “Young at Heart”. Sarah and her husband Danny (Stephen Tompkinson) moved to Africa to set up a game reserve and veterinary practice. This restricted Amanda’s on-screen sexiness but she still managed to look pretty good in khaki shorts, before being killed off in Series 3.
In 2007 she was recruited by Simon Cowell to be a judge on the new talent show “Britain’s Got Talent”. Cowell was quite open about the reason for having Holden on the panel, saying “she looked dirty”.
It is no surprise that ever since then, Holden and Cowell have occupied adjacent chairs, with Simon’s rogue hairy hand often lingering on Amanda’s back.
She is now part of the furniture, notable for her spectacular outfits and “sexy” cackle, rather than an informed critique of the hapless magician in front of her. Semi-final week usually sees the most daring dresses and Amanda is no stranger to controversy in her choice of couture.
This was brought spectacularly to a head in this year’s show when a plunging neckline sent the nation into a frenzy. The dress, a stunning lacy number that left not a lot to the imagination drew more than 650 complaints to Ofcom.
One particularly vociferous protester was 69-year-old former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, who demanded Holden be fired. Simon Cowell lapped it up and you know what, we bet Amanda loved it as well!
by Ian Hine
The post What’s On TV: The Ever-Changing Face of Amanda Holden appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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