{"id":31182,"date":"2023-11-07T07:29:06","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T07:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onelidlesseye.com\/?p=31182"},"modified":"2023-11-07T07:29:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T07:29:06","slug":"amanda-holden-celebrates-15-years-of-marriage-i-still-fancy-my-husband-hes-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onelidlesseye.com\/celebrity\/amanda-holden-celebrates-15-years-of-marriage-i-still-fancy-my-husband-hes-fit\/","title":{"rendered":"Amanda Holden celebrates 15 years of marriage \u2018I still fancy my husband – he\u2019s fit\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no doubt about it \u2013 Amanda Holden is a force of nature. A 5ft 4in tornado in \u201ckiller heels\u201d, the Heart Breakfast presenter works hard, loves fiercely and laughs loudly! All while managing to looking effortlessly glamorous, of course.<\/p>\n

However, like many working mums, she admits that life is so busy, time can be an issue. \u201cThere just isn\u2019t enough of it,\u201d she sighs as we catch up for an exclusive chat. \u201cI try to fit as much as humanly possible into every day. I love working but I also want to spend as much time with my husband and children as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda, 52, and record producer Chris Hughes, 69, share two daughters: Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11. The couple will celebrate 15 years of marriage this December, after tying the knot in a Christmas-themed wedding at the Grade II listed Babington House, Somerset, in 2008.<\/p>\n

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Judging by their cosy social media posts, they look just as loved up today as ever, so what\u2019s their secret? \u201cWell,\u201d says Amanda, breaking into her infectious trademark chuckle. \u201cThe main secret behind a successful marriage is to have a bloody good sense of humour! Plus, I really fancy Chris. We\u2019ll be eating dinner in a restaurant, he\u2019ll go to the loo, then I\u2019ll look up and catch a glimpse of a man and think he\u2019s fit! Then I\u2019ll realise, \u201cGosh, that\u2019s my husband!\u201d I still fancy him. Also, Chris challenges me and I challenge him \u2013 that\u2019s another secret to a good marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The perfectly matched pair met in Los Angeles in 2003. It was shortly after Amanda\u2019s divorce from her first husband of five years, comedian and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Les Dennis, but they didn\u2019t start dating until a year later. <\/p>\n

These days, Amanda ensures that spending time together as a couple is a priority. \u201cJust last week Chris and I met up for lunch and a dog walk and we banned talking about work. You need to invest in each other and remember what it was like before children, before you had too much pressure on you,\u201d she says. \u201cWe enjoy a good date night.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Amanda and Chris, that tends to involve something simple like an evening at home on the sofa. \u201cWe love watching telly,\u201d she admits. \u201cWe\u2019ll watch a whole series on Netflix or Amazon Prime together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Amanda\u2019s down-to-earth nature is just one of the factors that have endeared her to audiences over the years. And she has no intention of slowing down.<\/p>\n

She says, \u201cI feel very fortunate. I\u2019ve always had a strong work ethic. I\u2019ve worked since I was 13 in various ways. I always say I\u2019m a waitress that got lucky!\u201d<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t take anything for granted either, although jokes, \u201cI don\u2019t want people to get \u2018Mandy-lash\u2019, as my husband calls it, and get bored of seeing so much of me.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when work opportunities are there, I\u2019ll make the most of them because even though I\u2019ve been lucky for 30 years, one day it might all end. I have to make the most of it while it\u2019s here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Amanda\u2019s award-winning Heart Breakfast Show with Jamie Theakston now reaches an incredible 3.9 million listeners a week and, in 2024, she\u2019ll be filming a new series of The Italian Job with Alan Carr. \u201cI love working with Alan,\u201d she says. \u201cHe\u2019s such a wonderful friend too.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, one of her favourite roles is still on the Britain\u2019s Got Talent<\/i> judging panel alongside her good friend Simon Cowell. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe most generous gift he\u2019s given me is my seat next to him on Britain\u2019s Got Talent<\/i> for all these years!\u201d says Amanda, who joined the show when it launched in 2007. \u201cHe constantly takes credit for everything I do. Although I think he secretly wishes he\u2019d signed me for my Top 5 album a few years ago!\u201d <\/p>\n

She\u2019s referring to her 2020 album Songs From My Heart,<\/i> which showed off her talent for singing \u2013 previously witnessed in musicals such as Thoroughly Modern Millie<\/i> , which earned her a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award nomination.<\/p>\n

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Amanda and Simon are firm friends, and she\u2019s genuinely delighted by the way his life has changed for the better. \u201cHis fianc\u00e9e Lauren [Silverman] and son Eric have been his best gifts in life,\u201d Amanda tells us. \u201cIt\u2019s testament to them both to what a difference family life has had on him. I couldn\u2019t be happier for them as a family and he now has the right balance with work, doing only the good quality stuff that he wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The opportunity to pick and choose her work projects is a position that Amanda is privileged to find herself in. \u201cThe last few years it\u2019s been Chris\u2019 job to get the girls out the door for school. But I now make a lot of work decisions around my family: can I do school pick up? Can I bring my family on this work trip? Can I be home for dinner? I\u2019ll need this day off to attend a school event. It\u2019s very much a compromise and involves forward planning. My attitude is, don\u2019t stress because everything will fall into place.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting to assume that Amanda has always been self-assured, but she admits, \u201cThere are no tips for feeling fabulous and confident \u2013 it\u2019s something that grows with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to the haters, Amanda has a refreshingly straightforward approach. She says, \u201cI can\u2019t control what people think of me so I don\u2019t give it much thought. I\u2019m true to myself, I\u2019m no different on screen or on the radio than I am at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t please everyone but I encourage everyone to live in the moment, not in the past. You have to learn not to care about people\u2019s opinions. Life is short and for living, so I try to focus on positive things.\u201d<\/p>\n

This positivity is something she strives to pass on to her daughters, adding, \u201cWe have those important conversations over dinner and we\u2019ve always been a very open and honest family, so any issues have always been tackled early on.\u201d<\/p>\n

At times she has come under fire for her \u201crisqu\u00e9\u201d fashion choices on TV with one particular dress triggering 235 complaints to the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom. \u201cI like classic pieces and I like value for money but I do like a bit of side boob every now and again,\u201d she smiles.<\/p>\n

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While fashion is a fun way to express herself, she strongly believes that the way women\u2019s outfits are talked about needs to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen are always described as \u2018parading their legs\u2019 if they\u2019re wearing shorts or skirts, and if they\u2019re at the beach they\u2019re \u2018parading\u2019 in a bikini. No, I\u2019m simply at the beach or I\u2019m simply walking down the street in summer. I\u2019d like to see those headlines change,\u201d she says. \u201cNobody judges a man like that!\u201d<\/p>\n

She shares her passion for fashion with her daughters and says they not only support her outfit choices, they raid her wardrobe too! \u201cLexi and Hollie see me trying on frocks all the time at home and they\u2019re the ones saying, \u2018Go for it, Mum. We love that, you look great.\u2019 Fashion is about taking risks. I encourage everyone to have fun and be a little daring. I\u2019d be bored playing it safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another piece of advice she follows is her family\u2019s unofficial motto: never give up. \u201cI don\u2019t accept failure and I try not to let anything stop me or get me down. It\u2019s a waste of time to have negative thoughts. I\u2019m very much a \u2018keep going\u2019 kind of girl. I have no time for people who close the curtains and hide from the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Amanda runs daily but says her top self-care tip is \u201cwater, water and more water!\u201d She explains, \u201cI drink at least two litres during my radio show every morning. It\u2019s only summer holidays and Christmas that you\u2019ll find me more relaxed with self-care, but I\u2019ll still be wearing a lash and some lippy. And remember, a glass of wine now and again plumps the skin \u2013 drink it though, don\u2019t rub it on your face!\u201d <\/p>\n

And to de-stress? \u201cOh I love long soaks in the bath,\u201d she says. \u201cBaylis & Harding has the best bath and shower products. My favourite is the signature Sweet Mandarin & Grapefruit collection, which is just perfect for relaxing \u2013 just what I need in the run-up to Christmas!\u201d<\/p>\n

With a wedding anniversary on the horizon and the festive countdown just beginning, this is Amanda\u2019s favourite time of the year. \u201cI encourage Heart Breakfast to start playing festive songs as soon as possible and I love it when we start to play them every day. And I normally have the whole house decorated by the end of October. It\u2019s never too early for Christmas \u2013 I love it!\u201d <\/p>\n

Well, something tells us that living with Amanda Holden, with all the glitter, giggles and cheer, must feel like Christmas every day of the year. <\/p>\n

Amanda\u2019s A-List with Baylis & Harding is available now online or in selected stores. For details visit baylisandharding.com\/AmandasAList<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\n