Amanda holden: ‘I love being able to drink cocktails again!’
Wednesday 10 October 2012
She was recently voted the mother most mums would turn to for advice but, chatting to Closer last week, mum-of-two Amanda Holden reveals that when it comes to parenting problems, she leans on her friends for support.
The star – whose pals include actresses Angela Griffin and Sarah Parish – says: “All my girlfriends have kids, so whenever we get together, it’s a bit of a mothers’ meeting.”
And while many new mums feel a pressure to slim down in record time, 5ft 4 Amanda – who’s married to record producer Chris Hughes and gave birth to their second daughter, Hollie, in January – admits she’s now heavier than her pre-pregnancy weight and isn’t at all fazed. She puts the weight gain down to a month’s holiday in California this summer.
The size 8-10 star says: “I dropped back to 8½st after giving birth to Hollie, but I’ve put on weight since then. I honestly couldn’t care less. I’m lucky that I’m naturally slim, so I don’t see any problem with treating myself to a slab of cake every now and again!”
And even though Amanda has previously turned to quick fixes to improve her looks, she has no intention of having surgery.
“I’ve had Botox in the past, but I’ll never go under the knife because I have a condition where I overproduce scar tissue,” she says. “But I’ll still try any non-invasive procedures.”
The Britain’s Got Talent judge has faced heartache over the years in her attempts to have more children. She suffered miscarriages in 2010 and 2011, and although Hollie was born healthy, a difficult birth left Amanda needing emergency blood transfusions and in intensive care for three days, fighting for her life.
And now the 41-year-old – who’s also mum to six-year-old daughter Lexi – insists she won’t have any more kids and loves being able to have the odd cocktail again.
She laughs: “I won’t be having any more babies because I like drinking too much! I’ve been on the wagon due to being pregnant on and off for the past three years, so I’m enjoying being able to drink again. My next baby will be a frozen margarita!”
And Amanda says Hollie’s birth has made her and Chris, 38, closer than ever.
“I fell in love all over again when Chris became a father to Lexi, then again when we had Hollie,” she says. “He’s been my rock during the difficult times.”
And on the subject of the other man in her life – BGT boss Simon Cowell – Amanda says she can’t see him becoming a daddy soon.
She reveals: “Simon is amazing with my kids and always makes them laugh. I don’t know if he will ever have his own, though. I think he’s content spending his money!”
Amanda supports the Pampers “Picture a Better Future” campaign. For each marked Pampers pack you buy or photo you upload on facebook.com/PampersUKIre, Pampers will donate the cost of a vaccine to support UNICEF in the fight against tetanus.
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