ZapGossip

Amanda Holden recalls early Albert Square stint

Amanda Holden once starred in ‘EastEnders’ after she left drama school.

The ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge has revealed she shared the screen with the likes of Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) during her short stint in the BBC soap, which saw her manning a market stall in Walford for a few episodes back in the 1990s.

Speaking to ‘Heart Breakfast Show’ co-hosts Jamie Theakston and Ashley Roberts, she said: "When I left drama school, ‘EastEnders’ was one of the first jobs I got.

"I had to look after someone’s stall for half an hour, which was like four episodes or something."

Jamie couldn’t believe the revelation, before asking if there were any photos.

She added: "I was opposite Adam Woodyatt."

Amanda’s time in Albert Square saw her character taking charge of the jewellery stall close to Ian’s fruit and veg stand, which led to plenty of jokes involving "rude fruit".

She said: "Ian Beale, I looked after a jewellery stall and he had his fruit and veg, there was a lot of messing around with rude fruit, that’s all I’m going to say.

"I had a lot of fun, it was a nice show to do."

Now, Amanda – who went on to appear in the likes of ‘Kiss Me Kate’, ‘Wild At Heart’ and ‘Mad About Alice’ – is best known for her role as a judge on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.

She recently told Emma Willis that Simon Cowell’s series "pays her mortgage", as she gushed over her close friendship with her boss.

The former ‘Cutting It’ star said: "We tell each other everything, I’m very close to him… and I’m really grateful, it’s paid my mortgage for years."