Biography: Amanda Holden

Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress who is well known for her role as Mia Bevan on Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion on Wild at Heart, her marriage to Family Fortunes presenter Les Dennis and for being a judge on Britain's Got Talent.

Biography

Holden was born in Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire. She was brought up in the village of Waltham Chase, by her mother Judith Mary Harrison and stepfather Leslie Drew Collister. She joined the Bishop's Waltham Little Theatre Company when she was nine, and credits Angie Blackford as influential in her early stage career. When she was 16 the family moved to Bournemouth, Dorset and ran a small B&B while Amanda herself studied Drama and English literature A levels with Terry Clarke and Charles Lamb at the Jellicoe Theatre, now part of The University of Bournemouth. She successfully auditioned for the independent drama school Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in the Wood Green area of North London when she was 18, graduating in July 1992.

Television career

Her first television appearance was as a contestant on the UK game show Blind Date in 1991, since which she has become a familiar face on British television. Holden is well known for her role in the ITV drama Wild at Heart as Sarah Trevanion. She is also known for being a judge on Britain's Got Talent alongside Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell. She has also appeared on various British comedy and drama series such as Smack the Pony, EastEnders, Hearts and Bones, Cutting It and as a co-star with Harry Enfield in comedy series Celeb.

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.^[1] Holden confirmed that she would host the show,^[2] and presented alongside regular presenters Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez on 1 June.^[3] Holden has since been signed up with CBS as a British correspondent for The Early Show.

In July 2009, Holden became a gossip columnist for the News of the World's celebrity orientated magazine Fabulous.^[4]

Amanda trained for a month to be a midwife for Out Of My Depth which was aired on 14th December 2009.

In January 2010, Amanda started a new three-part show called Amanda Holden's Fantasy Lives. In the first episode, she was training to be a Showgirl and she was very relieved when she found out that her fellow Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell was not watching her perform her dance routines. Then in the second episode she trained to be a Hollywood stuntwoman, doing a 30 foot high jump, stunt-driving, stunt-fighting and being set on fire.

Acting career

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^{[citation needed]}, which closed because she wouldn't take a pay cut, even though the rest of the cast had all agreed in order to keep the show running.

She appeared in the ITV1 drama Wild at Heart, alongside Stephen Tompkinson. The first series aired in 2006 and a second series followed in early 2007. Series three ran from 20 January to 9 March 2008, after which Holden left the program.

She has since also appeared as Lizzie the Ring Mistress in the sitcom Big Top(BBC1, 2009). Though this programme turned out to be a ratings disaster and was cancelled after only one series.

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

Personal life

Holden married the comedian Les Dennis in 1995. They separated in December 2002 when Dennis discovered Holden was having an affair with actor Neil Morrissey, they divorced in 2003.^[5] On 21 January 2006, Holden gave birth to her first child, Alexa "Lexi" Louise Florence Hughes.^[6] Amanda married record producer Chris Hughes at Babington House^[7], Somerset, in December 2008 with former Formula One racing driver David Coulthard acting as the best man.

Amanda is an Everton F.C. supporter,^[8] expressing her dismay in May 2007 on ITV's Parkinson to Everton's 4–2 loss to Manchester United after leading 2–0. She was the face of Everton's "Breast Cancer Campaign" in 2007. During an interview on ITV's This Morning on 29 May 2009 she expressed her disappointment when finding out she could not attend the following day's FA Cup Final between Everton and Chelsea because it was on the same day as the Britain's Got Talent final. However, Holden was seen on ITV coverage of the final at Wembley just prior to the final.

Holden ran the London Marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes^[9] on 13 April 2008, in the name of the Born Free Foundation,^[10] having collected public and celebrity sponsors online. Amanda is a vegetarian.^[11]

Filmography

• The Door (2010)
• Out Of My Depth (2009)
• Big Top (TV series) (2009-present)
• Britain's Got Talent (TV show) (2007-present)
• Wild at Heart (2006-2008) (TV series)
• Mad About Alice (2004) (TV series)
• 4:50 From Paddington (2004) (TV film)
• Eternal Rectangle (2003) (TV series)
• Ready When You Are, Mr McGill (2002) (film)
• Cutting It (2002-2005) (TV series)
• Celeb (2002) (TV series)
• Now You See Her (2001) (TV film)
• Happy Birthday Shakespeare (2000) (TV film)
• Hearts and Bones (2000) (TV series)
• The Grimleys (1999-2001) (TV series)
• Virtual Sexuality (1999) (film)
• Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1998) (film)
• Kiss Me Kate (1998-2001) (TV series)
• Jonathan Creek (1998) (TV series)
• Goodness Gracious Me (1998) (TV series)
• Intimate Relations (1996) (film)
• EastEnders as Carmen (1994) (TV series)
• Blind Date (1991) contestant

References

1. ^ Britain's Got Talent's Amanda Holden lands US job
2. ^ "Confirmed: Amanda Holden to Guest Host The Early Show". mediabistro.com. 2009-05-29. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cbs/confirmed_amanda_holden_to_guest_host_the_early_show_117685.asp?c=rss. Retrieved 2009-05-30. 
3. ^ "'We didn't exploit Susan Boyle,' says Amanda Holden as she defends Britain's Got Talent in US media blitz". Mail Online. 2 June 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1190231/We-didnt-exploit-Susan-Boyle-says-Amanda-Holden-defends-Britains-Got-Talent-US-media-blitz.html. Retrieved 3 June 2009. 
4. ^ Calvert, Gemma (26 July 2009). "Lights, Amanda, Action!". News of the World. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/fabulous/celebs/417924/LIGHTS-AMANDA-ACTION-Amanda-Holden-writes-VIP-column-for-Fabulous.html. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
5. ^ Simpson, Richard (12 May 2008). "The backlash over my affair with Neil Morrissey was the worst time of my life, says Amanda Holden". Mail Online. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-565209/The-backlash-affair-Neil-Morrissey-worst-time-life-says-Amanda-Holden.html. Retrieved 7 December 2009. 
6. ^ http://showbiz.sky.com/Amandas-Baby-Named-Already
7. ^ Sunday Times, 10 January 2010.
8. ^ http://www.bluekipper.com/toffee_celebs/1.htm
9. ^ http://www.celebritygenius.com/Amanda-Holden/biography.html
10. ^ http://www.justgiving.com/amandaholden
11. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1244053/Amanda-Holden-shows-talent-staying-revealing-bikini.html

External links

• Amanda Holden at the Internet Movie Database
• Amanda's official website

Amanda Holden main page.