Amanda Holden admits music icon ‘blatantly ignored’ her when she asked for advice

Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Fisher/Shutterstock (16556042u) Amanda Holden 'Britain's Got Talent' TV show series 19 photocall, London, UK - 12 Feb 2026
Amanda Holden turned to a famous face for help (Picture: Shutterstock)

Britain’s Got Talent star Amanda Holden has described how she was ‘blatantly ignored’ when she turned to an American music icon for marriage advice.

Amanda, 55, is married to music producer and songwriter Chris Hughes, with whom she shares two daughters – Holly, 20, and Lexi, 14.

The pair also have an impressive menagerie of pets in their ‘furry babies,’ who consist of dogs Minnie and Rudie, and cats Muffy and Bolt.

Amanda – who was previously married to Les Dennis – only brought home kitty Bolt last year, after rescuing him from Corfu, where she’d been on holiday at the time.

She’s already keen to continue growing the family’s brood, although husband Chris doesn’t seem so keen.

Amanda reached out to Talking to the Moon singer Bruno Mars for advice on her dilemma… only for him to dodge the question entirely.

Handout screengrab issued by Global of Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston on Heart Breakfast With Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden as he announced on air he is "cancer free" months on from his stage one laryngeal cancer diagnosis. The 54-year-old, who announced his condition in September, has been off-air since last year, and is set to return to his Heart Breakfast radio show from Monday. Picture date: Friday January 17, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Theakston. Photo credit should read: Heart Breakfast/Global/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Amanda co-hosts Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston (Picture: PA Wire)
Bruno Mars Portrait Session
Bruno Mars is back with a new album (Picture: Getty Images)

Bruno had been promoting his new solo album, The Romantic on iHeart Radio in America, where he sat down to play agony uncle.

Describing what had happened to her Heart Breakfast radio show listeners, Amanda revealed that Bruno had personally asked her to send in a dilemma.

‘I did send one in, and it made it to his radio show; it went across America,’ Amanda said.

Amanda Holden Instagram Amanda Holden Chris Hughes
Amanda married music producer Chris Hughes in 2008 (Picture: Instagram)

She then played the exchange to listeners, which began with Amanda telling Bruno: ‘My question is, I have four rescue animals, I’ve been married to my husband for 22 years, I have two children, I’m desperate to get another puppy.’

After congratulating Amanda on two decades of marriage, Bruno replied: ‘I love animals too, well, listen, 22 years, you said you wanted 22 years more, I think you’ve just got to love them.

‘You’ve got to love them more like you’ve never loved before,’ he added, before playing one of his songs.

After the clip had aired, Amanda laughed: ‘What do I do about the puppy? He just blatantly ignored me.’

Co-host Jamie Theakston joked: ‘It’s almost like he used you.’

‘Just to play one of his new songs,’ agreed Amanda.

Grabs for Amanda Holden says she?ll never make-up with Phillip Schofield Credit: Heart Radio
Amanda shared how Bruno had left her hanging (Picture: Heart Radio)
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In September last year, Amanda revealed how she’d fallen in love with cat Bolt while on holiday in Corfu.

Describing the feline as a ‘gorgeous black teenage boy,’ she shared how Bolt had quickly become attached, even cuddling up at night in bed.

‘I am also a sucker, as you know, for a rescue,’ she told Jamie on their breakfast show.

‘In the villa we were staying in, we were visited by this gorgeous black teenage boy pussy cat, absolutely gorgeous, really long limbed, beautiful, super affectionate. And then he had an arch enemy in the form of a ginger cat that we reckon was slightly older.’

BGUK_3129158 - London, UNITED KINGDOM - Amanda Holden reunites with co host Jamie Theakston at Heart radio as Jamie Theakston returns to work after Cancer diagnosis Pictured: Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston BACKGRID UK 20 JANUARY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Mattpapz / BACKGRID UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com *Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Amanda first hosted Heart Breakfast with Jamie in 2019 (Picture: BACKGRID)

Revealing that she’d fed the pair every day, she even had them neutered during her stay on the Greek Island.

After finding herself unable to say goodbye, Amanda made plans to bring them both back to the UK – although she was only able to keep the black cat (which she named Bolt) due to already having one at home.

She went on to describe Bolt as a ‘super affectionate’ new addition to the family.

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Amanda’s exchange with Bruno comes days after she got catty about former This Morning host Phillip Schofield.

During an exchange with co-host Jamie and comedian Jack Whitehall, Amanda had asked whether Jack plans to rock a ‘snappy pair of socks’ while hosting the BRIT Awards on Saturday.

‘Well, I don’t want to be upstaged by a sock,’ Jack responded.

Amanda then turned on Jamie, joking: ‘I rest my case.’

‘What are you talking about? Children’s television? That wasn’t me, that was Phillip Schofield,’ Jamie replied. 

 Amanda then quipped: ‘Oh God, please, let’s not mention that name on air, it’s a family show!’  

Meow.

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