Interview With Amanda Holden

Fame and Fortune: Amanda Holden

The Britain's Got Talent judge feels like a star thanks to her black American Express card and saves for her daughter

Amanda Holden is one of the judges on the current Britain’s Got Talent alongside Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan.

The actress, 38, starred as Sarah Trevanion in ITV’s Wild at Heart, which has run for three series, and played Mia Bevan in the Bafta award-nominated drama series Cutting It.

Holden married the comedian Les Dennis in 1995. They divorced in 2003.

She married record producer Chris Hughes, 37, last December and they live in Richmond, west London, with their daughter Lexi, three.

How much money do you have in your wallet?

I have about £55. I like to have some cash because I have my toddler with me a lot of the time and it’s much easier to buy sandwiches, crayons and whatever else. I normally take out about £100.

What credit cards do you use?

I have a black American Express card. It’s actually made of titanium, which is fantastically sexy. It came in a huge black box and I thought it was a gift.

You can’t apply for one — they are just sent to you. A man turned up in leathers and handed it over to me years ago.

It has an unlimited credit limit— I could buy the whole of America. If you check into a hotel with it, you normally get an upgrade straightaway. They also offer a concierge service. I use it all the time.

It’s also a great card to have when you go to a snooty shop. If I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman — you know when they look at you as though you can’t afford something — I slap down my black Amex card. It costs about £1,200 a year.

I also have a Coutts gold card. I love the bank statements I get from it. They’re fantastically detailed. I make sure I pay off my bills in full every month.

Are you a saver or a spender?

I love spending and I absolutely believe that money isn’t something you should take with you to the grave, but I do have a saving accounts for myself and a separate one for my daughter.

My accountant makes sure I take advantage of all the tax-free savings allowances each year. Savings and tax probably account for half my earnings. I also have three personal pensions. I have a tracker mortgage with Royal Bank of Scotland. I’m probably paying a quarter of what I was paying this time last year.

How much did you earn last year?

Close to £1m. The year before, I was doing Wild at Heart and some of the money from that was still being paid in the tax year just gone. Other earnings came from Britain’s Got Talent, personal appearances and product endorsements.

What’s it like working on Britain’s Got Talent?

I completely adore it. Simon (Cowell) says if I were a dog, I’d be wagging my tail all the time. Simon is ruled by his head and by his wallet and Piers (Morgan) is also very cerebral. Neither of them think with their heart — neither of them have one, to be honest. They don’t give anyone a second chance and they’re pretty much like that in real life. I add a bit of heart and emotion to the panel.

Have you ever been really hard up?

We had little money when I was growing up. I don’t remember ever feeling poor, but I knew we didn’t always have new coats or uniforms every term. I left home when I was 16 after my parents decided to move to Bournemouth and start a hotel business. I didn’t move far, though — I lived with friends while taking A-levels at Bournemouth College.

Do you own a property?

I have a house in Richmond and a cottage in Norfolk which we go to about once a month.

Chris and I bought the Richmond house in April last year. It’s absolutely stunning — right next to the river Thames and part of a gated community. It has four bedrooms and a nice big open-plan kitchen and dining room, as well as a garden for my little girl to run around.

It’s a new-build — unusual for me, because I’ve always gone for old buildings — but it has character. It’s modelled on an old church at the end of the road, so all the windows have arches.

We bought for £2.1m, and bizarrely, given what’s happened to the housing market, we were recently offered £2.5m for it. We don’t want to move, though.

The cottage is near Burnham Market. I’ve had it for 12 years or so and have no mortgage on it.

It’s a tiny, 19th-century workman’s cottage set in the middle of a field. It was £69,000 when I bought it but was valued at £275,000 recently.

What was your first job?

My first proper job was working at a little shop in Bournemouth called the Candy Bar which was actually a grocery shop. I was paid about £3.60 an hour.

What is the most lucrative work you have ever done? Did you use the fee for anything special?

Probably doing Wild at Heart, which paid a six-figure sum. Some of the money went into extending our Norfolk property and the rest was saved.

Are you better off than your parents?

Yes, although I think that’s something they find very hard to accept. They’re both retired now, but mum was a secretary and dad was a second-hand car dealer before they set up the hotel.

Do you invest in shares?

I bought shares in Carlton Television because someone suggested it to me in the late 1990s. I managed to sell them at a profit just before the stock market crashed and made something like £5,000 on a £10,000 investment. Other than that, I’ve steered clear of the stock market. I just think it’s too risky.

What’s better — property or pension?

Property, for sure. With property, at least I can see where the money has gone rather than some obscure fund that is subject to the whims of whatever government is in power.

What’s been your best investment in life?

During my first marriage, I was living in Primrose Hill and I bought a studio flat as an investment in St John’s Wood.

I ended up living in it for a while after the divorce. I managed to sell it for a profit of about £60,000 over three years.

What about worst?

Cars are always a bad investment and I always buy new cars. The worst was probably a Mercedes CL5 which I bought in Manchester about three years ago.

What’s the most extravagant thing you have ever bought?

I bought a baby grand piano in 2003 for about £5,000. I was a gifted pianist when I was 14, but now it’s like I’ve never played before — I can’t even read music.

It’s a beautiful piece of furniture, though, and my daughter will practise on it when she’s old enough.

What is your money weakness?

Shoes. Some of my Christian Louboutins cost me £500 to £700.

What aspect of the taxation system would you change?

I’d lower taxes. People should be encouraged to give more to charity by cutting their tax burden. I hate paying the 40% \ rate.

What is your financial priority?

I need to plan for what to do when rates pick up again — perhaps fix at a decent rate for the next three or five years.

What is the most important lesson you have learnt about money?

Never despair. Things will always improve if you persevere long enough.

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