Amanda Holden has revealed she had an early inkling about Alan Carr’s performance on The Celebrity Traitors, discerning his success before he even told her.
The 54-year-old, who co-hosts the property renovation series Amanda And Alan’s Greek Job with the comedian, noted a significant change in their usual communication.
Carr’s uncharacteristic two-week silence during filming of the BBC reality gameshow immediately aroused her suspicions, given their daily conversations.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Holden explained: “I knew he must have done well because I didn’t speak to him for two weeks, normally we speak every day.”
She also reflected on Carr’s enduring popularity, adding: “He’s been around for so long, but everyone’s suddenly like, ‘Oh, I love Alan Carr’, and I think, ‘How is he a new thing to you? He’s always been this brilliant’.
“My daughter Holly, who’s always loved him, said to me, ‘Everyone’s asking me about Alan’, and I say to them, ‘You’ve met Alan, he was in the back garden at our party, and you weren’t bothered about him then’.
“Alan’s literally brought them a cup of tea in bed or been on holiday with them. But now they’re really into him, it’s brought a whole new generation because of all the TikToks and the memes, which is lovely.”
After fooling faithfuls comedian Nick Mohammed and TV historian David Olusoga in the show’s final moments, Carr, 49, took home the £87,500 prize pot for cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK, in the first series of the British celebrity version of the show, which aired in late 2025.
Carr recently said Holden would be “great” on The Celebrity Traitors, but Holden hinted she would want to be a traitor if she was going to do the programme, before appearing to rule out an appearance on the BBC show.
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Holden said: “I do love the cloak, I think I’d look like the woman from the Scottish Widows advert if I could customise it with a red lip.
“They’d make me a faithful though, and that’s boring. You don’t remember the faithfuls. You ask anyone in a few months, who else was in the show other than Alan Carr? But I couldn’t do it anyway because it clashes with Britain’s Got Talent.”
Carr said: “Well, a traitor would say that. Wouldn’t they?”
The fourth series of the standard version of The Traitors, which sees everyday people take part in the show, is currently airing on BBC One.
The full interview can be read in the latest issue of the Radio Times.
