The confession that cleared a ten-year-old out of the room
It takes quite a lot to leave Jamie Theakston speechless on live radio, but Amanda Holden managed it rather effortlessly this week. During a segment on their Heart Breakfast show, the Britain's Got Talent judge revealed that she kisses her husband, music producer Chris Hughes, at least ten times every single day — a disclosure so wholesome, yet so startling, that one listener's ten-year-old son reportedly walked out of the kitchen in protest.
The moment came as Amanda and Jamie were discussing the results of a survey into the ingredients of a happy marriage. One finding suggested that kissing at least ten times a week is important for a healthy relationship. Amanda, 55, had other ideas about what constitutes the baseline.
"Even by my standards and my husband, who nags me all the time, would say you do that in a day — ten kisses, probably."
Jamie's response was equal parts disbelief and mild horror. "You kiss your husband ten times a day?" he asked. Amanda confirmed it without a flicker of hesitation, adding that it was, in her view, "the easiest thing to get out the way in a marriage.
"She even threw in a reference to a "Glaswegian" kiss for good measure — assuring listeners she meant the affectionate kind — before cheerfully confirming: "Yeah, we have a good old snog."
The listener who had enough at breakfast
Not everyone was charmed by the admission. When Amanda and Jamie opened the phones and inboxes to listeners, the responses were mixed. One parent wrote in to say her ten-year-old son, eating his breakfast while the radio played, was so appalled by the revelation that he stood up, called out "disgusting," and left the room. Another listener suggested Amanda simply had "too much time on her hands."
It is, of course, exactly the kind of candid, slightly chaotic energy that has made Amanda one of the most listened-to voices on morning radio. She has been co-hosting Heart Breakfast alongside Jamie Theakston since 2019, and the pair have built a loyal audience on precisely this sort of unfiltered banter.
Where the survey falls short, by Amanda's own admission
The research Amanda shared on air set out several benchmarks for marital bliss beyond the kissing quota. A successful marriage, according to the survey, also requires saying "I love you" at least nine times a week, having ten deep and meaningful conversations each month, and going on a date at least three times a month.
Amanda was quick to concede that the last two are rather more aspirational in her household. She and Chris — who married in 2008 and share daughters Lexi, 20, and Hollie, 14 — are lucky to manage one dinner out alone per month, she said. As for meaningful conversation, she painted a fairly recognisable picture of long-term domestic life.
"Ours are like, 'What do you want for your tea? What are our plans for Sunday?' That's as deep and meaningful as it gets."
It is a sentiment that will resonate with plenty of couples — the daily rhythm of marriage tending to be rather more practical than romantic, whatever the surveys might recommend.
A busy season for Britain's favourite morning host
The radio revelation comes during a typically packed stretch for Amanda. She has recently wrapped Britain's Got Talent, where she awarded her golden buzzer to The Hawkstone Farmers' Choir — the act associated with Jeremy Clarkson, who went on to win the series.
She has also been presenting her Heart show in an England kit amid World Cup fever, and last week took daughter Hollie to see Harry Styles perform at Wembley Stadium, later posting a selfie and writing: "You make us all so happy." At the weekend, she was spotted at Wimbledon in a sharp pin-striped waistcoat and wide-legged trousers, joining a host of celebrities courtside for the opening day of the tournament.
Through all of it, it seems, she has found time to kiss her husband at least ten times. As she told Jamie: it's the easiest thing to get out the way.
