AMANDA HOLDEN
SHE’S CHAMPIONED GAY ACTS ON BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT, ADORES MUSICALS AND IS NEVER AFRAID TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF. AMANDA HOLDEN, WE LOVE YOU
HONORARY GAY AWARD
WORDS: ADAM DUXBURY
We are on the phone with Amanda Holden and suffice to say she’s excited to be named our Honorary Gay at this year’s Attitude Awards. “It means more to me than anything — this is better than winning a BAFTA,” she says, before adding, with a cheeky laugh: “I think it’s long overdue!”
Amanda, 46, is best known for her work as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent — where she’s been revealing that same cheeky charm, alongside oodles of glamour, since the show began in 2007. Her sassy banter with Simon Cowell, and her warm, big sisterly way with contestants have turned her into Saturday night TV royalty. But although people recognise her mainly for her work on BGT, she actually started out writing sketch shows with the likes of Simon Pegg and helped get Smack the Pony off the ground. And as an actress she’s had starring roles in many TV hits, playing Sarah Trevanion in the long-running ITV1 veterinary drama Wild at Heart, and appearing in EastEnders and Agatha Christie’s Marple.