Exclusive: Amanda Holden reveals ‘ever-evolving’ 20-year relationship with husband Chris Hughes 

Amanda Holden opened up about her relationship with her husband Chris Hughes, revealing that their relationship still feels “so fresh” after 20 years and shared her gratitude for their “secure” relationship. 

Sitting down with HELLO! ahead of the release of her new Netflix series, Cheat: Unfinished Business, which was filmed in Spain, the mum-of-two shared an insight into their “ever-evolving” romance. 

“When my husband came out to visit during filming, I felt grateful to be in a lovely, secure relationship,” said the 54-year-old of music producer Chris Hughes, 51, whom she met in 2003 and married in 2008.

“We have ups and downs like everyone else. But when I was looking at the pain and suffering that some of the people we were working with were going through, I felt so grateful that I had somebody in my life with no complications.”

© Netflix

The Britain’s Got Talent star, who co-presents the show with relationship guru and Married at First Sight expert Paul C Brunson, added: “My husband and I always have this joke where we go: ‘God, our relationship still feels so fresh.’

“Twenty-two years does feel like a long time, but it still feels new to me. I think that’s because it’s ever-evolving.”

Inside Amanda and Chris’s romance and family life

Having met in Los Angeles, Amanda and Chris married five years later at St Margaret’s Church in Somerset, followed by a reception at Babington House. They have two daughters: Lexi, 19, and 13-year-old Hollie. 

© Getty Images

Revealing the secrets of their happy marriage, Amanda told HELLO! in 2019: “Chris is very funny and errs on the side of lightness. We can make jokes out of any situation, throughout the best and darkest times of our lives.

“He’s rubbish at romance, but he’s there for the solid things, such as keeping my car clean and making sure I relax. I’m a strong, opinionated woman, but he helps me steer the Mandy ship.”

Together, the couple have weathered a number of traumas, such as the heartbreaking loss of their son Theo, who was stillborn when Amanda was seven months pregnant in 2011. The following year, she became critically ill after giving birth to Hollie.

© Dave Benett

Opening up about her children to HELLO!, Amanda said of Lexi, who is studying at university: “My older daughter is in a relationship.”

“She uses social media, but she’s very canny and astute,” continued the presenter. 

“Growing up with somebody like me, who’s used social media as a platform and as a tool for positive things, she can see that it’s been used in a good way. She also knows that I block any negativity. I have a very thick skin, so I suppose I’ve taught her all of those lessons.”

Amanda’s attitude to social media isn’t the only thing she has in common with her daughter. Given that she is the same dress size as both girls, they share each other’s clothes, too.

© Instagram

“When we go on holiday, we all take hand luggage, because we all dress in each other’s stuff. I probably shouldn’t be dressing like them, but I do. And they nick my stuff all the time,” she said. 

“They can’t walk on my heels, so none of my shoes get ruined, which is a bonus,” she added, laughing. 

What Amanda and Paul said about Cheat: Unfinished Business

Signing up to host her first Netflix show is a dream come true for Amanda, who described the programme as being “essentially about the truth and being human”.

“It’s about feeling safe enough to be vulnerable and to discuss topics that the entire world can and understand,” said the star, who, with Paul’s help, guides couples through their issues as they decide whether to move past their betrayal or end their relationship for good.

© Netflix

Although both she and Paul have been in happy relationships for more than 20 years, they don’t believe that infidelity should necessarily spell the end.

“I think it would be hard for us to have thought that it was a deal-breaker and to have then done the show,” Paul said.

The expert, who has two sons – Kingston, 14, and 11-year-old Liam – with Jill, his wife of 23 years, added: “We’re optimistic that we’re all good people, but some have bad behaviour.”

© Netflix

Amanda agreed. “Some people make it back to each other and some don’t, but everybody takes something away that’s hugely positive,” she said. “The win is that everybody changed and grew.

“There are some extraordinary changes. There are some people you judge when they first go in, but by the end, your opinion of them has completely changed.

“I couldn’t quite believe how much they took on board and were willing to learn from Paul and everything they went through in that villa.”

Cheat: Unfinished Business is available to stream on Netflix.