Amanda Holden breaks silence on wild rumour that followed split from Les Dennis

Daily Record

05-05-2025

Amanda Holden has spoken out about a bizarre rumour that emerged during her divorce from Les Dennis, when a friend was mistaken for music legend Diana Ross.
Britain's Got Talent favourite Amanda Holden recently dispelled a "hilarious" rumour from the past involving her ex-husband Les Dennis and music icon Diana Ross. Amanda was married to actor Les Dennis from 1995 until they finalised their divorce in 2003 following her extramarital affair with fellow actor Neil Morrissey.
Despite that turbulent period, she went on to find enduring happiness with music industry boss Chris Hughes. Yet, she couldn't help but chuckle over a comical misunderstanding related to her former spouse and Diana Ross during her discussion on the Tea At Four podcast, reports the Mirror.
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She shared a light-hearted anecdote: "I hate to bring it up, but when I was going through a divorce, my friend Jane Wall, who is a mixed-race actress, was living in my house. We were helping her, she was living there basically so she could save up for a mortgage and, it [the newspaper article] said, my then-husband was being 'comforted by Diana Ross'. So that was hilarious."
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Les Dennis also had a laugh about the media blunder, recalling in a 2004 interview with the Independent how bizarre things had become. "Well, there've been a few, but there was one instance that was particularly ridiculous," he commented.
He elaborated on the absurd story: "When everything was going a bit crazy a few years ago, a friend of mine, Jane Wall, was visiting my house. She's an actress who's been in The Bill, among other things. When she left, these two journalists chased her down the street in a car. The next day, the headline said that I was being comforted by pop diva Diana Ross."
Speaking candidly on the podcast, Amanda discussed the complexities of trust in relationships, remarking: "If the trust's been broken, you have to repair the trust, and that can be tough."
She looked back nostalgically at her first TV experience on Blind Dates, admitting that despite its romantic setting, she had a boyfriend at the time, treating the opportunity merely as a spotlight moment during her days at drama school.
At the age of 54, Amanda expressed satisfaction with her personal life, having married Chris in 2008. In an interview with Hello! magazine, she praised their connection: "When my husband came out to visit during filming, I felt grateful to be in a lovely, secure relationship."
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Amanda reflected on the ups and downs shared with her husband, acknowledging a sense of gratitude amid witnessing others' difficulties: "We have ups and downs like everyone else. But when I was looking at the pain and suffering that some of the people we were working with were going through, I felt so grateful that I had somebody in my life with no complications."
On the podcast, Amanda took a deep dive into the 'rose, thorn and banana' aspect of her career – high points, low moments and unexpected twists respectively. When it came to her work on Britain's Got Talent, she labelled it her 'banana', explaining: "I was an actress up until that point. I think Simon is obviously famous, that he asked Cheryl Cole to do it first."
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Amanda revealed her shift in career focus, saying: "She turned it down... From there, I just seemed to have turned into a host and a presenter and I don't really act particularly anymore."
She also recounted a significant career moment over the last year, describing it as "non-stop".
Her next opportunity came in the form of Netflix's Cheat: Unfinished Business. Amanda expressed her enthusiasm for the project: "When I was asked if I would host a relationship show on Netflix, I just thought, 'surely I've reached the top of Everest now'," highlighting the milestone.
Amanda further reflected on the significance of working with Netflix: "Because this is all I've ever wanted. Because Netflix seems so out of our reach as British people, and slowly us Brits are trickling in."
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