PRIME TIME

Amanda Holden on how she's living her best life in her fifties as her teenage daughters break into the modelling world

- CASSIE STEER

If marketing geeks were tasked with concocting the ultimate “modern celebrity”, the brief would be something like: “Make her accessible yet aspirational, likeable but with enough sex appeal to transcend all genders, and with a touch of midlife relatability to tap into the menopause conversation – without looking as though she’s anywhere near the menopause.”

In other words, their creation would very much resemble Amanda Holden. Little wonder, then, that her ubiquity shows no sign of waning.

The original multi-hyphenate – an actress, presenter and singer with a casual 2.5 million followers on Instagram – continues to grace our screens, serving as a judge on Britain's Got Talent, a show with which she’s been synonymous since 2007.

She is also a firm fixture on our airwaves, courtesy of the Heart Breakfast radio show, which she co-hosts with Jamie Theakston on weekday mornings.

When HELLO! settles down to an exclusive interview with Amanda in a sumptuous suite at Claridge’s hotel in London, she sweeps into the room, glam mode fully engaged. “I love a lash; I’m quite full-on,” she says.

From the minute she opens her mouth, it feels like chatting to an old girlfriend. Joyfully raucous from the off – “So whaddaya wanna know, babes?” - she’s lacking in pretension and as sharp as a tack.

She is media-savvy, peppering conversation with the type of shareable soundbites that make journalists salivate (“I want to go out like Joan Rivers; well, maybe not quite like Joan...”), yet her candour feels authentic. And despite her obvious appeal to the men, you get the sense that the 54-year-old is a girl’s girl, too.

Although Amanda projects a strong sense of self – “I've never understood people subscribing to ‘You can’t do this or that’” – there is a relatable whiff of imposter syndrome behind the bravado. It’s something she’s talked about in the past, admitting to being surprised every time her contract is renewed.