Britain’s Got Talen t judge Amanda Holden has opened up about the end of her marriage to ex-husband Les Dennis, 69, admitting she went through a “very dark time”.
The singer and radio host, 52, wed the TV funnyman, in 1995 when she was 23, and he was 40 after meeting on set of a stage production of the Sound of Music.
Five years later in 2000, it was revealed the couple had split following a very public affair between Amanda and Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey, 60.
The lovers began their fling when they both starred in the BBC film, Happy Birthday Shakespeare.
Amanda and Les broke up due to the affair and although they briefly reconciled, ended up splitting for good in 2002.
Speaking about the impact the fallout had on her, Amanda told the Mail: “I brought it on myself, I appreciate that, but nothing will ever be as bad again.
“It was a very dark time. It got to the point where I felt I could hardly breathe.
“Les proved to be my saviour. Ironically. So the person I’d hurt the most in the world was the one who was there for me.”
Many have speculated that the age gap between Amanda and Les may have caused problems in their marriage leading to the radio host looking for love elsewhere.
In an interview with The Times, the mum-of-two was asked whether had been looking for a sort of father figure in Les Dennis.
She answered: “I don’t know because I’ve never done therapy, but there is a sort of safety in a relationship like that.”
In another interview with Good Housekeeping, Amanda admitted she didn’t believe women have affairs for no reason.
She went on: "Neil rightly or wrongly got loads of stick. I feel like it was my fault - I was the one who was married.
"I want to change the general perception of him, as he was very caring and very loving and very worried about me because I lost so much weight. He used to cook for me and look after me and babysit the dogs."
Four years after news of the affair came to light, Bob The Builder voice actor Neil apologised for how the situation was dealt with.
Speaking on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, the Line of Duty star said: ‘I don’t think we could have avoided starting it but we could have dealt with it differently.
“Amanda was having problems with her relationship anyway, as far as I was concerned. The ring was on the finger but the marriage was not really there.
“That was my understanding at the time. We had a lovely time when we had that brief fling.”
When asked why he has never spoken about it before, he shared: "I think enough was said about it.
“This was a very short fling. I didn't have representation at the time, in terms of PR and this was the first time I'd really come under the cosh."
Since their split Amanda and Les have both found love again.
The BGT star and singer married record producer husband Chris in 2010 – with who she shares daughters Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11 – and Les with wife Claire Richardson.
The couple have two children together, Eleanor, 13, and Thomas, 10. He is also father to son, Philip, from his first marriage to Lynne Webster.
