Ever since she hoodwinked Cilla Black and found herself on Blind Date as a teenager, Amanda Holden has dreamt of hosting her own dating show. Three decades later that dream has come true.
“I had a boyfriend!” laughs Amanda as she recalls appearing on Blind Date aged 19 in 1990, despite her secret paramour. “I was all loved up! But I’ve always wanted to do a relationship show. It has always been the dream.”
Now Amanda, 54, has joined forces with Celebs Go Dating star Paul C Brunson, 50, to bring fans a new Netflix series called Cheat: Unfinished Business.
The show follows eight couples whose relationships were torn apart by cheating and who now want to face up to their past mistakes and see if they can move forwards together.
With all its lurid allegations of one-night stands and affairs, Cheat: Unfinished Business makes Blind Date look very tame indeed. And Amanda believes her show is all the better for it.
“A dating show like Blind Date is fun,” says Amanda. “You get to see people at the beginning, and it’s all fun at the start of the relationship.
This is much more interesting because there are two sides, and we are so quick to judge. But our show will demonstrate how your judgement might change throughout the process. It will be up and down and all over the place. There’s fear and tears and love and heartache.”
Amanda is no stranger to heartache – her marriage to Les Dennis, now 71, famously ended when she had an affair with Neil Morrissey, now 62, in 2000 while they were filming a show together for the BBC.
Years later, Amanda revealed she felt guilty about the flack Neil took for their affair. “Neil rightly or wrongly got loads of stick. I feel like it was my fault – I was the one who was married,” she explained to Good Housekeeping in 2013.
“I want to change the general perception of him, as he was very caring and very loving and very worried about me because I lost so much weight. He used to cook for me and look after me and babysit the dogs.”
While her own romantic history might be difficult, these days Amanda is happily married to Chris Hughes who she wed in 2008. The pair share daughters Lexi, 19, and Hollie, 13.
She loves the format of her new show and, pragmatically, knows better than anyone how the public can get hooked on the drama of a love triangle.
“The topic [of cheating] is contentious, obviously, and difficult,” concedes Amanda. “I think it makes for a more interesting theme. The show is not like anything else, it’s layered and it’s intelligent and it’s empathetic.”
It doesn’t shy away from heartache either, with counsellor Paul C Brunson helping the couples confront difficult truths. Watching them grapple with betrayal left Amanda in tears.
“I did get emotionally involved, as you would expect,” says Amanda. “In the early days of filming, I was trying my best to not show too much, because when you’ve read the research on the couples that are taking part and then you see the body language and the tears and them trying to calm down.
All the vulnerabilities that humans go through when something like this happens… it’s hard not to be invested in that yourself. I was trying so hard not to give anything away, and then I just sort of let that go because it was a bit impossible for me.”
Amanda’s own affair played out publicly, but she insists that infidelity affects almost everyone at some point in their lives. “I think it’s a worldwide thing and I think everybody’s going to understand it,” she says. “Everyone’s going to have somebody or something that they relate to.”
Watching the contestants crying over gaslighting and cheating wasn’t easy for Amanda or Paul. “It was about getting questions answered and getting the truth out. Some were saying to their partners, ‘You make me feel like I’m going mad,’” says Amanda.
“They always knew that there was a truth to their feelings, but they felt like they were going nuts. For both men and women that were cheated on, getting to the truth was a relief.”
As a relationship expert, Paul was confident he could counsel the couples who wanted to get back together. For him, it’s the relationships where couples won’t admit to any flaws that are the ones that are in danger. “The fear is if you have a relationship with no issues,” says Paul. “Often, that’s the one where you see there actually are issues that you’re not investigating.”
The show, filmed in a villa in Majorca, could make uncomfortable viewing, but Amanda reckons Paul dispenses such great advice that even watching it should improve relationships. “The couples are going to see if they can learn anything,” says Amanda, “or solve anything, or ask the questions to get to the bottom of something.”
Seeing them lay their feelings bare on the show impressed Amanda, who was in awe of their bravery. “There’s a lot of drama, there’s a lot of empathy,” she says.
“I applaud the people that were brave enough to come and be part of it. They’ve selflessly been up for it and shown stuff that they probably didn’t want anyone to see, that now the whole world is going to see.”
So could Amanda bring herself to go on a show like this? “I feel like I wear my heart on my sleeve all the time,” she laughs. “Everyone knows everything about me.”
Amanda loves dressing up and this series gives her ample opportunity to show off her figure in some seriously revealing outfits. And she wasn’t alone – everyone on Cheat: Unfinished Business took their hair, make-up and fashion very seriously.
“The couples want to look hot for each other and they want to say, ‘Look, this is what you’re missing!’ or, ‘Hi! I’m back!’” says Amanda. “So for all of those reasons, the frocks were super important to everyone. It’s always fun dressing up.”
On the show, Amanda looks very fit and credits her Peloton bike for keeping her in great shape. She says, “I used to do Kundalini yoga and I loved it. But I’m on a Peloton most of the time. I never thought I’d be a bike girl because I used to love running outside but now I just get on the Peloton, no excuses.”
Her classes are usually with teacher Olivia Amato. “I love her,” says Amanda. “I love her outfits, her jewellery, and I just sort of stare at her and she says amazing things such as, ‘Get out of your own way.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, baby!’ I compete with people. I’m going, ‘Oh, he’s in his thirties. I’m going to beat him.’ I don’t put my age on it.”
Working with Paul makes a change for Amanda, whose TV husband is usually Alan Carr, on Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job. Now Amanda is keen for the two to meet – though not as keen as Alan is.
“I think Alan’s got a bit of a crush on Paul,” laughs Amanda, telling Paul, “He wants you to go on his travel podcast! I might have to chaperone. He’s excited and hugely jealous!”
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