AMANDA Holden has never been shy about flashing the flesh on Britain’s Got Talent – nor facing the torrent of viewer complaints afterwards.
But now she has something else to reveal — that ITV show bosses have installed a committee of bigwigs to check out her chest area and sign it off before the cameras start rolling each week.
This week there were hundreds more grumbles to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom over her latest low-cut ensemble.
But in an exclusive interview Amanda laughs off the latest controversy — and vows to keep wearing what she loves.
The BGT judge says: “There’s now a whole body of people that knock on my door and come and stare at my chest before we go on air.
“There’s a t*t committee. There are so many brilliant people, they come down, knock on the door and there’s the lady who’s the producer who said, ‘Mandy, it looks great’.
“She said, ‘I can see it’s underwired’ — people thought it was my nipple they could see but it was the underwire.
“My husband does describe them as being like football studs, but that’s probably too much information.
“But yes, there’s a whole committee now, and a head of the committee.
“I won’t name her, but she’s female. She is a good, strong woman and she’s on my side.”
Amanda adds: “People have been banging on about my t*ts for a decade now, and I’m nearly 50.
“I could technically be going on a Saga holiday next year. Do you think maybe I should get them insured?”
And she jokes: “They have their own chat show next year. They’re going to take over from Piers. I might let them go on Life Stories.
“I’ll let Piers interview them — they can talk about everything they’ve been through.
“Actually he saw them once because I went round for dinner with my kids and (husband) Chris at his house in LA, and I was chatting to one of his sons and one fell out.
“And Piers was like, ‘Er, Mandy, can I just point something out? You’re talking to my son’.”
Yet despite laughing off the latest controversy, Amanda admits she is anxious about Saturday night’s show as it will see her showcase her own talents to the nation after releasing her debut album, Songs From My Heart, tomorrow.
The record has been a labour of love over several years, and sees her perform her favourite tracks from the West End stage, as well as a duet with Sheridan Smith.
Amanda says: “Releasing it feels like I’ve had a wobbly tooth that just won’t come out, and you go, ‘Let me just yank it out’.
“That’s how I’ve felt throughout lockdown. It’s been like, ‘Are we going to do it? Yes. We’re gonna do it in October’, and then you think October’s miles away and it has come round so quickly.
“I am just so nervous but so relieved that it’ll be out and we just can get on with promoting it and doing all the stuff that comes with it. But I can’t wait now, to be absolutely honest.”
She adds: “It’s a lifelong dream, so for this to happen out of the blue at my age — 48 when I got the deal — is unbelievable.
“Age isn’t really a thing any more, but you don’t expect to have so many green shoots still happening, and it just feels like my bush is still sprouting, let’s just say that.
“I don’t think women of my age were getting opportunities like this 20 or 30 years ago, so that’s progress.
“And of course you can’t deny it’s also to do with Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice and all those shows.
“I started out in musical theatre but in the UK you’re only allowed to do one thing at a time really.
“You do a bit of comedy, then you do a bit of drama, you can’t be an all-rounder, but I think more and more we’re becoming more like America.
“Me and Bradley Walsh, we’re on our own.”
Laughing, she quickly adds: “It’s a better album than his! I’m joking, but I think there’s a real market for this kind of music.
“It’s hard to choose my favourite track, but working with Sheridan was a wonderful experience.
“I thought, ‘Who else is off the telly but does the West End?’ and just wondered if she would do it. I didn’t know her very well. I’d been to see her in everything she’s done.
“I’m a super-fan and I’ve been backstage and had a glass of bubbles with her, all that kind of thing, but never given her a hug and said, ‘I really love you’.
“David Walliams gave me her number and I rang her and she just said yes, came down while she was pregnant and I couldn’t leave her alone, I absolutely adored her.
“We really bonded and I think she won’t mind me saying, she was surprised I wasn’t as posh as she thought.
“I think I always sound posh to people, like I had private education, but I had the same sort of upbringing as her, on a housing estate, absolutely no pennies to rub together, so we got to know each other very quick because we’re both very open, quite honest, straight-talking people.
“And my immediate reaction was I just wanted to throw my arms around her. And she sort of makes you want to protect her and look after her.
“I really enjoyed the whole afternoon.
“She’s lovely, putting the song on social media and saying, ‘Yay’ and being supportive. It’s how my girlfriends and I behave towards each other.
“We’ve all been very successful in our own ways of working and it’s just so nice to have a lovely woman in my clan that feels the same about other women and that they’re all championing each other.”
Amanda admits she is more comfortable at the thought of singing the song on the BGT stage in front of Ashley Banjo, who is standing in for Simon Cowell after his spinal surgery, rather than the notoriously fierce music mogul himself.
She says: “As much as I miss him terribly, I’m really glad Simon’s not there.
“To have to look at him and sing, I would absolutely die.”
And despite the major controversy around Ashley and dance troupe Diversity’s BGT performance in support of Black Lives Matter, which drew 25,000 viewer complaints, Amanda says: “I’m glad Ashley’s there.
“He has been a wonderful person to have on the show, and the way he has dealt with the controversy around their performance has been amazing.
“I’m very proud that we did that as a show and stood by it.”
The performance last month replicated the death of black American George Floyd, whose neck was knelt on by a police officer during his arrest.
But it also looked more widely at this tumultuous year, and Amanda says: “I was proud to be one of the first people to see it.
“I knew it was going to make an impact and I loved the fact it celebrated the entire year and that kind of sense of community. It was one of the big positive things that came out of lockdown.
“We finally got to know our neighbours, we clapped the NHS, we came together with a real community spirit, so I was very saddened and quite disappointed to see the complaints and so much focus on that.
“To say that we’ve been overwhelmed with positivity would be an understatement.
“I hated the fact we were only concentrating on the negativity. But he dealt with it brilliantly.
“We all stood hand in hand around him and I particularly enjoyed it when ITV put their ad out in support.
“It’s a changing world but I’ve spoken to Alesha especially, at great length, and she said it’s not just about putting faces on TV, it’s about changing things behind the scenes.
“So these people really need to think about what they’re doing now, because this is a fantastic opportunity to educate us and make this conversation continue happening.
“If a family show starts a discussion then it’s right. And in five, six years’ time I think this will be a thing of the past, but BGT is a great place to tackle it.
“There’s no point doing it on Newsnight with nobody watching. Have it on BGT, on a forum that everyone understands.
“The reaction was absurd. And I think Ashley has been reaffirmed by the public love of him and by ITV and by all of us, just by standing side by side.”
- Amanda’s album Songs From My Heart is out tomorrow
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