EastEnders, affairs and babies: Amanda Holden’s incredible life in pics

Speaking in her autobiography No Holding Back, Amanda has said that she was assaulted by a well-known comedian shortly after she and Les Dennis reconciled. She wrote: "During our first tentative weeks at trying again, we went to an event together and on my way back from the loo I was cornered by a famous comedian, who tried to kiss me and put his hands in places they shouldn't have been. "I was scared and tried to push him away, making light of it so he would leave without causing a fuss, but he wasn't put off. As I tried to fight him off, I caught sight of our reflection in a mirror. "My body went limp, and I just stood there as he groped and nuzzled me, observing myself from afar." The actress added that at the time she 'felt like she deserved it and didn't tell Les.

While Amanda was filming the second series of Wild At Heart, Simon Cowell offered her a job on his brand-new show, Britain’s Got Talent - and she leapt at the chance. The show proved to be a success (obviously!), and she, Piers Morgan and Simon are all good friends to this day.

Amanda was keen to start a career in television even before she graduated from drama school in 1994, appearing as an unsuccessful contestant on Blind Date three years earlier. Whilst on the show, she revealed that her ideal man was none other than Jack Nicholson!

After beginning filming, Amanda discovered that she was pregnant with her first baby. And, at 11.30pm on 20th January 2006, she gave birth to her daughter, Lexi. “She was tiny and perfect and I could not have loved her more,” said Amanda.

Following Hollie’s traumatic birth, Amanda revealed to the Radio Times that she had been diagnosed with PTSD. She said: "After that, I thought seriously about illness and assumed whenever I had a cough, it was lung cancer. "I've had therapy and was told I suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome... I assumed that (Ptsd) was what people had in Afghanistan, and I haven't fought a war, but maybe I have in a way."

In 2005, Amanda Holden was offered a role on ITV’s Wild At Heart - and she jumped at the amazing opportunity.

When Holly Willoughby went on maternity leave to have her third baby, Amanda Holden stepped in to co-present This Morning with Phillip Schofield. Speaking about the experience, she said: "I've had such a lovely, positive response from the public and am loving being on the show. "There's lots of laughter and banter between Phillip and me - we had an instant rapport when we first got together - and I'm getting more uninhibited and relaxed as it's gone on. I'm a good girl though, I'd never swear or do anything unwholesome, but I'm not going to be quiet and sit back. I have to have my say."

Les Dennis appeared on Channel 4’s series of Celebrity Big Brother in November 2002, but, despite appearing as a fun-loving character in the initial first weeks, reports soon began to suggest that he was cracking under the pressure.

After recovering from her horrific experience, Amanda returned to Britain’s Got Talent - and received a standing ovation. She was back! However, the mother-of-two was slammed by many for her decision to return to work so quickly, and was forced to reveal her poignant reason for returning to BGT. She said: “I was in intensive care for four days and almost died. I got myself home and I didn’t want to think about dying any more. “I took Hollie to Birmingham about two weeks later. It was the last place I felt my baby son kick me, which was the 31st of January. “On the 1st of February I was told he was going to be stillborn and I had come back from Birmingham that night. I wanted to do that journey, coming back to the place with a baby in my arms and that is no word of a lie. "If it had been Manchester I would have given Hollie to my mum and not put her in the car for that long journey – it was because it was Birmingham. “I believe in circles; I believe that was what was meant to be. I came back to where I started.”

In 1998, Amanda got her big TV break starring in BBC comedy Kiss Me Kate opposite Caroline Quentin. After that, there was no stopping Amanda; she quickly became a household name, moving on to star in popular show The Grimleys, too.

Amanda Holden and Les Dennis renewed their vows in Las Vegas - however the renewal almost didn’t go ahead after the couple had a huge row.

Amanda Holden was born on the 16th February 1971

Amanda Holden and Les Dennis met while working on different shows in the seaside resort of Bournemouth - and, speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, she said that their relationship was very ‘deep and meaningful’.

While Amanda was performing in a production of The Importance Of Being Earnest in Hamburg, Germany, she received an ‘emergency’ phone call from Les. It turned out to be a proposal. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, Amanda explained: “We were on a £12 a minute ship line complete with satellite delay and interference - hardly the most romantic way for Les to ask me to be his wife… [but] I felt giddy with happiness.”

Amanda Holden scored a dreamy role as Princess Fiona in the West End version of Shrek - something her little girl was VERY happy about. She often says that performing in the show while she was grieving for her lost baby ‘saved my life’.

Despite Les being ‘heroic’ about the affair, Amanda moved out as headlines continued to appear about it in the press. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, Amanda revealed that Neil was the one who helped her through what was (understandably) a very difficult time. “He was so worried about the weight I’d lost that he even baked scones and always had a glass of red wine waiting for me.” She added: “Neil rightly or wrongly got loads of stick. I feel like it was my fault - I was the one who was married.”

Despite attempting to give their marriage another try, things didn’t work out for Les and Amanda. They eventually separated in 2002 and filed for divorce in 2003. A statement issued on the couple's behalf said: "It is with great sadness that Les Dennis and Amanda Holden announce that their seven-year marriage has come to an end. "The parting is amicable. There are no other parties involved and they are and will remain close friends." Amanda added: "It is very sad. We have been together for 10 years and we have tried hard to make our marriage work. I have the most enormous love and respect for Les." Les wished his former wife well, saying: "Amanda and I have had a good marriage and I have no regrets. Sadly, we have grown apart recently and we both feel that it is time to move on. I wish her good luck in all that she does in the future."

After a freak coincidence meant that Amanda and Les were working in adjacent studios, the pair decided to take a trip to Norfolk together for a heart-to-heart. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, she said: “During a long walk in that bleak wilderness I loved so much, I told Les that I really wanted us to try again. “And, on that day, in that place, I really did.”

On the 10th December 2008, a very happy Amanda Holden married Chris Hughes. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, she said: “I was so happy… I felt calm, as though, once and for all, I was drawing a line under all the drama of my life.”

In 2011, Amanda and Chris tragically lost their baby boy Theo, who was stillborn at seven months old. "To know that your baby might not come out alive is incomprehensible," she told Good Housekeeping later. "Hopefully someone will read this and take a bit of hope from it because there was a happy ending for me. A lot of women don't have that - I was very lucky."

Following her Blind Date appearance, Amanda Holden scored a cameo role in EastEnders. Impressive!

"Motherhood means everything to me, so it's what I base my life around. Before I take anything on, I always think, 'How will this affect the girls?' and won't accept anything which takes me away from them.”

Amanda Holden was over the moon when she discovered that she was pregnant again. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, she said: “If everything worked out ok, then our baby would be born in February 2011, just in time for me to start rehearsals and filming for television.”

In 2000, Amanda Holden’s affair with Neil Morissey was exposed in the press - leading to her and Les temporarily splitting. Speaking about her romance with the Men Behaving Badly star later, she told Good Housekeeping magazine: "I don't believe women have affairs for no reason. "Women don't seek sex - we seek love and affirmation. If a woman has an affair, there is normally a problem in their marriage.”

Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, Amanda said: “Les suddenly confessed that he’d slept with someone I knew at [my dear friend Jeanne Whittmore’s 40th birthday]. “I remember consciously wondering how I should be feeling. Angry? Hurt? Betrayed? The truth is, I felt none of them. Sadly, I just felt relieved. His infidelity was to become my passport out.”

In 2011, Amanda learned that she was pregnant again - and she and Chris were over the moon to share their happy news with the world.

While Amanda Holden was training for the London marathon, she stumbled across a dead body. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, she said: “I noticed some Night Nurse, a bottle of spirits, and a packet of cigarettes on the ground next to him. There was a thin cable around his neck - the other end was tied to a nearby tree - and I felt my blood run cold. “I just couldn’t take it in. It was so surreal and so sad.” The story quickly made the papers, and Amanda received a letter from the man’s widow. In it, the grieving mother-of-one apologised to the television presenter for being the one to find him. “I couldn’t have felt worse for her,” said Amanda.

Several months after their reconciliation, Amanda Holden and Les Dennis were asked to present a gong to Richard and Judy at the National Television Awards. However, their moment was forgotten when Judy accidentally exposed her bra on stage.

In Easter 2010, when Amanda was six weeks pregnant, she felt sick and found that she was bleeding. She and Chris rushed to the hospital, where they were told that they had lost a baby. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, she said: “A week or so later I went back to my doctor and I looked at my notes and saw the words ‘male foetus’. A little boy. “My heart broke again.”

Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, Amanda revealed that she and Les had planned to go to San Diego for the day with his son Phillip, and some friends. However, when one of them asked Les to drive more carefully, Amanda claimed that he lost his temper. She said: “He swerved across three lanes of the highway to reach an exit. We were lucky we weren’t all killed, and everyone was very shaken up.”

While Amanda and Les’s divorce was being finalised, she flew to Thailand with her mum to visit her sister. Whilst there, she bumped into the son of Les’s agent, Chris Hughes - and immediately felt that magic spark.

Amanda was left in a critical condition during the Caesarean section delivery of her little girl Hollie in 2012. The problems began during the birth when doctors discovered that her placenta was attached to her internal scar from her previous Caesarean section. The doctors then attempted to pull out the placenta, not realising it was attached to her bladder and the actress, who has a history of difficult pregnancies, lost a huge amount of blood. Speaking to The Sun On Sunday, Amanda, 43, said: "As much blood as they were putting in me was going out. It just would not clot. For seven minutes Chris didn’t know if I was alive or dead." Amanda’s heart stopped beating for 40 seconds, but, thankfully, doctors were able to save both her and Hollie’s lives.

In 1995, Amanda married Les Dennis. Speaking about their 17-year age gap, Les said at the time: "I was worried, well scared, actually about the age difference. "I realise now that it's about loving each other and not whether you relate to the same kind of music."

Amanda has revealed that Les’s mood swings often caused them to fight. Speaking in her autobiography, No Holding Back, she said: “Les had always been prone to mood swings… now these moments seemed more frequent. “We began to row, until it seemed he felt more comfortable being in an argument than when everything was normal.” She admitted that one time, after he upended a bowl of soup and smashed a flower arrangement with an umbrella, she snapped. “I picked up a saucepan lid […] chased him out of the room and panned him up the stairs. With every step, I’d whack him on the leg. “By the time he got to the top he was laughing, but later that night when he was brushing his teeth he had half-moons all the way up his leg!”