Amanda Holden is set to make her Netflix debut in a new relationship show about infidelity, where she will co-host Cheat: Unfinished Business alongside relationship expert Paul C. Brunson.
The series, premiering worldwide on April 30, brings together eight couples whose relationships have been damaged by cheating and will force them to confront their past infidelities.
Throughout the series, Brunson, known for co-hosting Celebs Go Dating and Married at First Sight UK, guides the couples and sets tasks to help them address their issues.
The show doesn’t vilify the cheaters but offers genuine support to help couples cope with betrayal of trust, leaving Holden to explain: “It’s a relationship show.
“It’s not a dating show. It’s about people who are invested in their relationships and are seeing whether they can hold on to them and make them work.
“There are two sides, and we’re very quick to judge. I think it’s very important to listen and to see why people have done what they’ve done.”
The format includes a tense “reckoning room” where couples confront each other about past indiscretions, leaving Holden to describe the series as “layered and intelligent and empathetic” compared to traditional dating programmes.
When pitching the series to viewers, Holden has encouraged many to keep an open mind when watching the show: “Try not to judge too quickly when you start watching the show, because there’s a long way to go.”
She firmly believes in second chances for those who have been unfaithful and affirmed: “Everybody was a child once, and everybody’s had aspirations and dreams, and so, the people in this villa are good people who made bad decisions.
“Everybody should have a second chance. I think it’s a worldwide thing, and I think everybody’s going to understand it.”
Amanda has had her fair share of romances in the spotlight
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The experience of filming Cheat: Unfinished Business has had a surprising positive impact on Holden’s own marriage to music producer Chris Hughes.
Speaking to The Sun, she explained: “Yeah, I was getting tips from Paul (during filming)… and was really nice to Chris for the week he came out to visit on set because I’d learned so much. I’d made notes.”
The Britain’s Got Talent star admitted that the show has improved her love life with her husband and admitted: “I’m working on my communication. Chris is very happy that I’ve done this show, and he and Paul love each other.”
Holden confessed that she and Hughes are now “swinging from the chandeliers more than ever”.
Holden’s interest in relationship shows stems back to her appearance on Blind Date at 19, where she admits: “I had a boyfriend! I was all loved up!”
Her own experience with infidelity came when her first marriage to comedian Les Dennis ended following her affair with Neil Morrissey in 2000.
The star was in the storm of her own cheating scandal
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Reflecting on this period in a 2013 interview, Amanda expressed remorse: “Neil rightly or wrongly got loads of stick. I feel like it was my fault – I was the one who was married.”
In contrast to her past relationship troubles, Holden has now enjoyed over 16 years of marriage with Chris Hughes, with whom she has two daughters, Lexi, 19, and Hollie, 13.
