‘BGT is the biggest thing in my life’

Amanda Holden opens up about BGT: The Champions and why she thinks her spot on the judging panel was a lucky break

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since Amanda Holden first took her seat on the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel. Since, she has witnessed some of the best acts that Britain has to offer and now she is back on the panel for a second time this year alongside fellow judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.

The judges, along with the public, will be welcoming BGT

champions from across the globe for a TV extravaganza which will decide who really is the champion of champions. While BGT has been Amanda’s constant TV role over the years, she’s recently become a radio DJ on Heart FM alongside Jamie Theakston, and has landed herself a record deal with Virgin EMI.

Meanwhile, she juggles life as a mum to her children, Alexa, 13, and Hollie, seven, alongside her husband Chris Hughes. We caught up with Amanda, 48, to find out more about BGT: The Champions,

why her acting career has been put on hold and what she really thinks of Simon’s transformation…

Hi Amanda. How has it been returning to BGT for the second time this year as the new Champions series ramps up?

First of all, I was thrilled when Simon said we were doing this Champions series because it’s like a bonus ball on the lottery. You feel like you’ve won the lottery and then the bonus ball comes, it’s like a rollover. So, for me, it was just fantastic, and luckily it didn’t clash with the summer holiday I’d booked, so it worked out perfectly that I didn’t have to cancel anything. Another bonus!

Had you ever thought about judging a Champions series prior to this?

I’d heard about the American one and watched snippets of it online, so I knew how it was going to run, but I had not really thought about it happening in the UK, if I’m honest. I was shocked by the incredible scale of this show when I walked into Wembley for the first time, it took a moment for it to sink in and the viewers are going to enjoy every second of it.

BGT is usually filmed in theatres, how was the move to Wembley for you?

When I walked into Wembley Arena for the first time and just saw the hugeness of it I nearly burst into tears, I’m not even joking. I felt really emotional because having been on the show from the very beginning and to see it grow into this sensational, epic juggernaut it is now, it’s just amazing. Just before we stepped out on stage, Simon said to me,“It’s going to be a bit different. We’re going to have supporters from the different countries sitting in different booths.”That’s exactly how it feels this time – universal. I felt really emotional because I was so overwhelmed with it all.

Did you feel like a rock star walking on to the stage?

I felt like a member of One Direction walking out on that stage! You walk on to the stage and everybody just goes nuts. I just love Britain anyway, but there was something special about this show, there was such a warm and fun atmosphere in that room. Absolutely everybody was up for having a good time.

Was your job easier this time round because all of the acts are so talented?

Yes, exactly! This show is the cream of talent from around the world.

So there’s nothing stupid, there’s nothing to criticise, there’s nothing that needs particularly any direction. It’s all polished, we kind of all just sit back and enjoy ourselves. The acts are all ridiculously good, there’s nothing we can say to make them any better. But we tried and of course we each had our own Golden Buzzer, including Ant & Dec. It was a weird but delightful situation to be in.

Does that mean you could be even naughtier on the panel?

We are always naughty anyway, but this time Simon did pull us all aside before we went out on the first night and just said,“This is going to be great, have fun and be free to misbehave!” I love that the boss tells us all to have fun and get up to mischief on the panel. He’s always encouraged us to be our true selves and I am always obliging whether he really wants it or not.

Do you think this series will remind people how great Britain is?

We’re about not taking ourselves too seriously, laughing if we fall over and getting back up. I strongly believe we are a warm, very tolerant country, we’re fun and we are stoic and strong. I think all of those elements are showcased in Britain’s Got Talent, so doing a champions series is brilliant as it’s a way of uniting the entire world because we have people from all over the globe coming to compete and we’re welcoming them on to our stage in the heart of the capital.

What do you think of the standard of the acts coming from around the world?

I think it’s certainly made the British acts think hard about what they are doing. We’re only a tiny island but I think we stand up very well to global talent. Our show was the reason that the franchise travelled all the way round the globe.