Amanda Holden voiced a notable worry, claiming Simon Cowell currently has “no strong women around him at the moment”.
Simon, aged 65, and Amanda headed to Blackpool this week to be on the judging panel for the Britain’s Got Talent auditions alongside Alesha Dixon and guest judge KSI, yet Simon decided to leave his wife Lauren and their 10 year old son Eric back at home.
This prompted Amanda to voice her concerns about the media tycoon’s infamous punctuality issues while speaking on Heart FM’s breakfast show. Amanda’s fellow presenter Jason ‘JK’ King questioned, “It is quite legendary, is he on time more nowadays or not? “.
At 53, Amanda responded: “His lovely wife Lauren and [son] Eric are not here to kick him up the jacksie so I’m going to say no. He’s got no strong women around him at the moment.”
When JK remarked that Amanda herself is an integral part of the Britain’s Got Talent crew, she countered: “I’m not in his team, he’s not going to be up early, no one says no to him unless it’s Lauren.”, reports the Mirror.
Simon has previously commented on his notorious tardiness after presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly broached the subject in their book “Once Upon A Tyne”. They highlighted their regular routine of waiting for Simon to make an appearance each audition day.
Offering his perspective in the book, Simon said: “They used to have a real issue with me being late and it used to drive them nuts.”
During a recent exchange, Amanda’s fellow presenter playfully suggested she could let her dogs loose in Simon’s room, to which she excitedly replied: “Oh my gosh, he is going to die of joy, you know what a fan of dogs he is, especially rescues.”
Amanda and her family, which includes husband Chris Hughes and their two daughters, have a heart for animals, having recently welcomed rescue dog Minnie from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home into their home. The household also holds a special place for Rudie the dog and Muffy the cat.
In other news, the acclaimed judge disclosed that Britain’s Got Talent’s shooting agenda is quite demanding, with the auditions moving to London following their stint in Blackpool. Expressing how the schedule has shifted this season, Amanda shared: “We’ve done it earlier [this year].”
“We’ve done Blackpool this week and then we’re back in London in January. It will be full-on and, knowing Simon’s schedule, I won’t be in bed until midnight and then I’ll be up again in the morning.”
Catch Amanda alongside JK on Heart Breakfast, brightening your weekdays starting at 6.30am.