Richmond's got Talent

Amanda Holden shares her love for Richmond with Sally Morgan

Actress Amanda Holden is renowned for being the most emotionally honest judge on the ITV show, Britain’s Got Talent, but if it were places and not people that she had to judge, Richmond would always be the clear winner in her view.

Sparing the time to speak to The Green while she has her hair coiffeured she says, “I read your magazine every month; I just love it. I adore everything about Richmond.”

Indeed, it was love that brought 37-year-old Amanda to Arcadia, as this area is known, in the first place. “I fell in love with my fiancé, Chris Hughes, and he said, ‘I think we should move in together.’” recalls Amanda. “He’d just bought a penthouse apartment in Richmond when he asked me. But having been settled in Primrose Hill for ten years, I thought I could never cross the river. Now I absolutely could never go back!”

Amanda’s love affair with Richmond began in August 2002 after moving in with Chris, 34, a music producer – who she plans to marry later this year. “I completely fell for the place,” she says. “The wide open spaces, the shops and restaurants, they’re fantastic.”

Since her daughter, Alexa, was born two years ago, Richmond has become even more perfect for them to settle permanently as a family. “We’ve got everything we need, here,” says Amanda. “We have the buzz of living in a town combined with the fresh air and space of the countryside. Lexi’s surrounded by horses, cattle and boats, which she would never have seen if we were still living in north London. We have the best of both worlds. It’s so child-friendly here too,” she continues. “We often take Lexi for a meal on the river at Tootsies, which is one of her favourite restaurants.

“In summer we go to the Creepers and Crawlers section at Kew Gardens, which is perfect for her at this age. We often have little picnics together, either just her and I, or with Chris.”

Amanda, who was brought up in Hampshire, has come a long way since kicking off her career as Geraldine Titley in the TV comedy, The Grimleys. Since then she has starred in TV series such as Hearts and Bones, Kiss Me Kate and the BAFTA Award-nominated drama, Cutting It. She also played a leading role in three series of the ITV1 drama, Wild At Heart, but asked to be written out of the script after gruelling months spent filming in South Africa made her homesick.

Home is certainly where Amanda’s heart is. When she, Chris and little Lexi recently moved out of their apartment in Richmond, they chose to live in another spectacular house nearby.

“I’m not usually keen on modern buildings, but this one has wonderful character,” explains Amanda. “It’s windows are arch-shaped and they have beautiful lead engravings. I kitted out every room with gorgeous French-style furniture from Maison on Richmond Hill.

“My ultimate aim though, is to live in one of those Georgian houses overlooking Richmond Green. I really admire the architecture and often look upwards to examine the gorgeous details that extend as far as the rooftops.”

Amanda confesses, however, that her greatest passion is for shopping. Luckily, the plethora of designer boutiques in Richmond satisfies her powerful cravings. “I’m a shopaholic; it’s like an illness,” she giggles. “The staff in all the boutiques recognise me and wave because I spend so much time – and money – in there.

“To re-charge my batteries during a mega-shop, I have a café latte at Love Food on Richmond Hill. I prefer to give my business to smaller franchises than the big chains.

Amanda is an avid foodie and dining out locally with fiancé Chris is an important part of their weekly routine.

“We need to remember who we are as a couple, rather than just being Lexi’s mum and dad,” she says. Chris and I are massive fans of Tangawizi, an Indian restaurant on the East Twickenham side of the river. It’s not your average tandoori house and it’s menu consists of beautiful, fragrant Indian cuisine. I’m a vegetarian, but there are loads of options for me. When we have a takeaway, I ask for my usual and they know exactly what I want.

“For lunch I’m a regular customer at FishWorks. They also have a fish counter, which makes you feel as if you’re in the middle of Cornwall. The Cornish pasty shop next door is good too. My family are from Cornwall and after they sampled the pasties, they gave them their seal of approval.”

Amanda keeps her trim size eight figure by jogging. “When I was training for the London Marathon, I used to run twice around Richmond Park,” she says. “It’s a fantastic space, even though the hills left me feeling knackered. You definitely feel as if you’re in the wilds when you’re there.”

In fact, when she was filming Wild At Heart, Amanda tried to persuade the producers to shoot the rest in Richmond Park instead of South Africa. “During a heatwave, the park looks just like the wilds of Africa,” she laughs. “Unfortunately, they didn’t fall for that idea.”

Now Amanda has left the series, she is eagerly looking forward to spending the summer in Richmond with Lexi. “She used to accompany me to South Africa, so this will be her first summer in England. I’m so excited about quality time with her,” she says. “Although I have a few potential TV dramas in the pipeline, I’m determined to take the summer off with her. We’re going to go for picnics at Marble Hill park, and I’ve told Chris that he has row me up the river in my Christian Louboutin heels!”

Amanda’s favourite things….

CD: I’ve just bought Duffy’s new album, Rockferry. When I heard her on the radio a few months ago, I thought she sounded like a sexier version of Amy Winehouse. I’m rubbish at music; until now my taste ranged no further than Abba and Robbie Williams. But my fiancé Chris has been trying to educate me.

I downloaded Duffy’s CD on to my ipod and ran the London Marathon listening to her. She has a cool voice and is a healthy-looking girl who’s managed to stay on the straight and narrow and still have talent. We’ve got all these other singers we put on a pedestals who are terrible role models for the younger generation.

Film: The most recent film I saw was with Chris was Iron Man in L.A. I was invited to the premiere of Sex And The City, and would have preferred to see that instead, but it was too late to change my flight. Chris couldn’t understand why I would want to do that. So I had to give up Sarah Jessica Parker for him.

My favourite films are Juno, which I saw at the Richmond Odeon, and Little Miss Sunshine. I love films which are brilliantly shot and written, and well-acted by virtual unknowns.

Food: Indian vegetarian food is fantastic, but my last ever meal would be pasta pesto with rocket and parmesan salad, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I could live on that every day. When I ask Lexi what she wants for tea, she says, “Pasta with greens, please Mummy.”