AMANDA Holden has opened up on a “hilarious” rumour that surfaced following her split from ex-husband, Les Dennis.
Amanda and Les, who is 18 years her senior, tied the knot back in 1995 following a whirlwind relationship, and when she was just 24 and he was host of Family Fortunes.
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However, their seven-year marriage ended at the end of 2002, two years after it became public knowledge she had been having an affair with co-star Neil Morrissey.
In the fallout of their relationship, false rumours surfaced that Les had “found comfort” with legendary soul singer, Diana Ross.
Speaking of the bizarre incident, Amanda told the Tea at Four podcast: “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 [reports] said, my then-husband was being ‘comforted by Diana Ross’. So that was hilarious.”
Jane Wall is most famed for playing Detective Inspector Di Worrell on smash-hit ITV cop soap The Bill, but has since been seen on shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Ghost Whisperer, and The OA.
At the time of the accusation, she was still working on The Bill, and she’s never commented about being confused for the iconic Supremes singer, who has always lived in the US and has no known connection to the Coronation Street star.
However, Les has previously spoken out about the incident, saying in a 2004 interview with the Independent the claim was “particularly ridiculous”.
Since her split from Les, Amanda found love with husband Chris Hughes, and the couple have been married since 2008.
Together the pair have two daughters – Lexi, born in 2006, and Hollie, born in 2012.
But she opened up about her past as she promoted her new Netflix show, Cheat: Unfinished Business, which sees former flames try and work past infidelity in their relationship during a Spanish retreat.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge hosts the show, with Celebs Go Dating’s Paul Carrick Brunson on hand to give the couples’ relationship advice.
Speaking on the concept of the series, Amanda said: “If the trust’s been broken, you have to repair the trust, and that can be tough.”
Just a week after the show’s release, the series has already been lined-up for a second season.
A TV insider said: “Netflix knows she is in huge demand and wants to make sure that if a second series gets commissioned, she is available to take the reins once more.
“There was always the hope Cheat had the potential for a sequel, but since it dropped it’s got a great response so another season is a no-brainer.
“But in the current climate where competition is fierce, particularly among dating shows, these decisions can go either way. Producers of the show are confident, however.”
The news comes at a busy time for Amanda, who is already busy filming her new BBC game show, The Inner Circle, as well as the Britain’s Got Talent live shows.
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