Amanda Holden reveals one of her ex-boyfriends dated a close friend and it 'absolutely killed' her

Amanda Holden has revealed how she was left heartbroken when an ex boyfriend fell for one of her close friends.

The TV and radio star, 54, who has been married to her producer husband Chris Hughes for 23 years, made the confession on air during her Heart Radio Breakfast Show on Wednesday. 

She didn't name the ex boyfriend, but explained how years ago she decided to set him up with one of her friends, only to quickly regret her matchmaking.

During a discussion about Gordon Ramsay's recent comments that he fell for his wife Tana when she was dating his friend, Amanda's co-star Ashley Roberts asked her if she had ever found out about a pal romancing one of her former boyfriends.

'I had an ex that I was keen on, and I fixed him up with one of my friends, which absolutely killed me. I don't know why I did that,' Amanda admitted.

Asked if playing cupid had left her heartbroken, she said: 'Sort of. Even though I had moved on and was seeing somebody else, I thought they would work together.' 

'But then when I saw them together, I was like, "What are you doing?"'

Amanda was married to TV star Les Dennis, 72, from 1995 to 2002 but divorced after she had an affair with actor Neil Morrissey. 

She went on to find love with music producer Chris Hughes, who she shares daughters Lexi, 19, and Holly, 13, with the pair getting married in 2008. 

During a recent episode of her BBC property show Amanda & Alan's Greek Job Amanda admitted her regrets at 'hurting people' as she reflected on her divorce during an emotional chat with best pal Alan Carr. 

The Britain's Got Talent judge sat down with Alan, 49, for a sunny lunch in the second episode of the new series.

Reflecting on her time with Les, Amanda told Alan - who divorced Paul Drayton in 2022: 'Obviously we’ve both been through a divorce. 

'We’ve both made mistakes and as much as I regret hurting people maybe, or causing chaos, it shapes you to who you are in this moment. I think life is too short to have regrets.'

Alan continued: 'I mean it’s not decisions for me but knowing your worth and the amount of times I’ve been walked over and people have demeaned me.'

Amanda went on: 'You are soft, you’re so lovely,' as Alan added: 'There’s times that I’d wished I’d said no, I wish I’d been a bit bolder and a bit stronger.'

The BGT judge expressed: 'After a divorce, what you do think is that you are never gonna find love again. Do you sort of trust yourself to fall in love and make a good decision about somebody for the rest of your life?'

Celebrity Traitors winner Alan reflected: 'Yeah, it’d be nice wouldn’t it? I don’t really trust anyone really, that’s the trouble. I think that is my main thing.'

Amanda asked: 'What do you think I’m going to do to you?' to which Alan reassured her: 'I trust you and maybe my mum and dad and my family. It’s just getting out there and trusting isn’t it?'

Amanda previously opened up on the fallout from her affair with actor Neil as the 'darkest time of her life'.

She told Daily Mail: 'I brought it on myself, I appreciate that, but nothing will ever be as bad again. It was a very dark time. It got to the point where I felt I could hardly breathe.

'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.'

After her divorce from Les, Amanda went on to detail her relationship with her co-star Neil as 'just about sex', but admitted she 'didn't want to have children' with Les. 

In a resurfaced interview, she revealed: ''I terribly want children but I didn't want to have them with Les. That's a horribly brutal thing to say, but when you do, you know you have to move on.

'I found the fall from grace incredibly hard to deal with. I can't bear not to be liked. Then I had an affair and overnight turned into this awful person. 

'There are no hard feelings with Les. I wish him the best, but we've both moved on. I don't believe women have affairs for no reason. Women don't seek sex – we seek love and affirmation.'

Heart Breakfast with Jamie and Amanda airs weekdays from 6.30am