Britain's Got Botox Amanda Holden goes au naturel... with a little help from a jab or two

By Simon Cable


For most women approaching their 40th birthday, appearing without their make-up is simply not an option.

But Amanda Holden has bravely decided to go au naturel - and looks virtually unrecognisable.

The 38-year-old, who is heavily made-up for her appearances as a judge on Britain's Got Talent, showed off her surprisingly youthful features during a photoshoot.


However, anyone envious of her impossibly smooth skin can rest assured that it is not simply down to good genes.

The former actress has revealed that she relies on extensive use of Botox to keep her face wrinkle-free claiming she 'doesn't see the point in growing old gracefully'.

She admits having injections across her forehead, around her eyes and on her nose. She had her first injection in 2007 after realising she’d developed noticeable wrinkles while filming in the harsh African sun.

'I have had Botox, which I'm happy to admit,' she said. 'It's running out now, though - I need to go again.'


Of her first Botox treatment, she told Heat magazine: 'It was just before Britain's Got Talent started. I was doing my last bits of filming for Wild at Heart and had been squinting in the sun for so long because it was filmed in South Africa.

'I could see the make-up artist having to cake over the creases around my eyes more and more and I just hated it. It was really starting to annoy me and once I'd noticed it, that was it. So I went to a place in South Africa for Botox and that was that.'

Botox, a nerve poison, works by temporarily paralysing the muscles where it is injected. Holden also admitted she has it so frequently, she likens it to doing her teeth.


Asked if she was nervous about having her first Botox injection she replied: 'Oh no, I agree with Simon Cowell. It's like cleaning your teeth - maintenance.

'It's like getting your roots done. I think as long as you don't go stupidly over the top...I can move my face.


You can still see I've got some Botox in my forehead but the rest has virtually worn off. Yes, I think it's character and everything else, but f*** it! That's why I need to get it done again.'

Holden has ruled out going under the knife saying that she suffers from a skin condition which leaves her prone to heavy scarring. She has also denied having collagen implants in her lips.

However, she claims she will eventually have 'fillers' to smooth out lines around her mouth, adding: 'My mum has amazing skin, so does my nan, but I think everything starts drooping around 45, so I know I'll succumb.

'The problem is that I've got keloid skin which means I scar really easily. So if I had surgery, I'd have worms of scar marks everywhere, so that's not going to work for me.

'One day I'll look my age. Actually, that's a lie - I want to look like Joan Rivers. I don't see the point in growing old gracefully.'

Holden married record producer Chris Hughes last year and the couple have a three-year-old daughter, Lexi.

Speaking of her appearance she said: 'I think I've got small, piggy eyes. I always have to wear smudgy eye-liner - even if I'm just going to Waitrose.'