Amanda Holden, 52, has opened up about her brief marriage to ex-husband Les Dennis, 69, admitting she went through a “very dark time”.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge tied the knot to the TV funnyman when she was just 23 and he was 40 after they met on the set of the stage production the Sound of Music back in 1995.
But their love wasn’t meant to last after the pair announced their split five years later following a very public affair between the radio host and Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey, 60.
READ MORE: Amanda Holden, 52, wows in plunging silk blouse as she shows off ageless curves
It is understood the scandalous fling started when they both starred in the BBC film, Happy Birthday Shakespeare.
(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
After their affair hit the headlines, Amanda and Les broke up and although they briefly reconciled, they ended up splitting for good in 2002.
Now, The TV personality has opened up about the impact the affair had on her in an interview with MailOnline.
She told the news publication: “I brought it on myself, I appreciate that, but nothing will ever be as bad again.
(Image: Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)
“It was a very dark time. It got to the point where I felt I could hardly breathe,” she confessed.
“Les proved to be my saviour. Ironically. So the person I’d hurt the most in the world was the one who was there for me.”
Since then, many have speculated that the age gap between Amanda and Les may have caused some tension in their marriage which led to the TV presenter looking for love elsewhere.
(Image: Getty Images)
In an interview with The Times, the mum-of-two was asked whether she had been looking for a sort of father figure in her ex-husband Les.
The star candidly confessed: “I don’t know because I’ve never done therapy, but there is a sort of safety in a relationship like that.”
In another interview with Good Housekeeping, Amanda admitted she didn’t believe women have affairs for no reason.
(Image: Getty Images)
Amanda argued: “Neil, rightly or wrongly, got loads of stick. I feel like it was my fault – I was the one who was married.
“I want to change the general perception of him, as she 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.”
Four years after the news of their affair came to light, actor Neil apologised for how the sticky situation was dealt.
(Image: Instagram)
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Speaking on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, the Line of Duty star said: “I don’t think we could have avoided starting it but we could have dealt with it differently.
“Amanda was having problems with her relationship anyway, as far as I was concerned. The ring was on the finger but the marriage was not really there.
“That was my understanding at the time. We had a lovely time when we had that brief fling.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
