Sharon Osbourne Pulls Precisely Zero Punches As She Fires Back At Amanda Holden

As her recent stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house proved, when Sharon Osbourne goes in on someone, she really goes in.

Over the weekend, the former X Factor judge more than lived up to this reputation with a takedown for the ages aimed at Amanda Holden.

During their CBB stint last month, both Sharon and Louis Walsh held nothing back when it came to their former X Factor boss Simon Cowell – which Britain’s Got Talent star Amanda took issue with while speaking to the Daily Mail for a new interview.

I hated seeing certain people in a reality show dissing Simon,” she said, without naming anyone specifically.

“He’s the person who’s given them all the chances, given them a lot of money and a lifestyle they probably wouldn’t have had.”

Amanda added: “It’s bitter and pathetic. It was like Cinderella with her two sisters in the background – just stabby, stabby, stabby.”

Amanda arriving at this year's BGT auditions in January
Amanda arriving at this year’s BGT auditions in January

Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock

The following morning, Sharon shared a lengthy statement on social media, directly responding to Amanda’s claims.

Sharon began: “The truth is, you don’t know me, Amanda or any of my close friends. You know nothing about my history in the music industry, my achievements, the artists I have worked with, the shows that l’ve produced, and my global celebrity.

“Unlike you, the brand of Sharon Osbourne is known worldwide. There are many countries that I could work in if I choose to, however, I don’t have the ambition or time to do so, and unlike you, I don’t work in radio or pantomime.

“Our worlds are totally different. I have been blessed with an amazing lifestyle throughout my entire life. Before you were born, I was living in a mansion in Beverly Hills and continue to do so today and continue to have my country estate in England as well. But there is something you should know. I never discuss money, lifestyle, or positions of power. I find it to be classless and crude.

“However, you’ve now forced my hand to divulge these things to you and I honestly don’t want to seem like I’m bragging, but the truth is my money and success were not due to doing a couple of Simon Cowell talent shows.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed doing them at the time as they were great fun,” she continued.

“Yes, Simon paid me very well. Probably more than what you’re receiving today, but all of that my darling went on a few handbags.”

Sharon went on to claim that during her initial stint on the X Factor panel, she was “the only judge who had global accomplishments with multiple million-selling artists, Grammy Award winners and arena and stadium headliners”, pointing out she’d also produced the annual Ozzfest music event, won an Emmy for her work on the reality show The Osbournes and penned a best-selling book.

“Amanda, I think you’re missing the point here,” she added. “No disrespect to Simon Cowell but he NEEDED ME for musical credibility on X Factor and I delivered for him and together all of us made a great team.

“It was only after several seasons of X Factor that Simon started to build his music empire and I give him much kudos for what he built. But in case you are living under a rock, my husband is a music icon who has sold 170 million albums, won five Grammy Awards, and is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee.

“We have been married 42 years and we had a fantastic lifestyle before I ever heard of Simon Cowell.

“On closing, I hope I’ve given you a proper education about me so that the next time you choose to mention me, you’ll have some facts in your pocket.”

Referencing the BGT star’s Cinderella dig, Sharon concluded: “The bottom line, Amanda, is, that you’ll never be in my league, and you’ve picked on the wrong ugly stepsister.”

Sharon last appeared with Simon Cowell on The X Factor in 2017
Sharon last appeared with Simon Cowell on The X Factor in 2017

Dymond/Thames/Syco/Shutterstock

Amanda’s rep later told The Mirror: “Amanda is aware of Sharon’s incredible career but, just like her, Amanda will always defend those close to her.”

Her spokesperson had no further comment when contacted by HuffPost UK.

While Sharon’s CBB stint was a short one, she still managed to make headlines on a number of occasions, largely down to her no-holds-barred approach to fellow celebrities.

At one point she took aim at James Corden, Anna Wintour and Ellen Degeneres in the same breath (and has had more ire for the Gavin & Stacey creator since leaving the CBB house), as well as voicing her criticism of Adele.

Share Button

Amanda Holden And Alan Carr’s Turn As Barbie And Allan Is Next Level Iconic

With Halloween soon approaching, there’s undoubtedly going to be hordes of people taking costume inspiration from the year’s biggest film, Barbie.

However, we reckon they’re going to have a hard time beating the efforts of Amanda Holden and Alan Carr.

The pair really went all out with their outfits as they hosted the Attitude Awards together on Wednesday night.

Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda donned a pink-PVC dress and matching beret (camp) to transform into the character played by Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig’s box office smash.

And rather than opt for the obvious by dressing up as Ryan Gosling’s Ken, Alan transformed into his Barbie namesake, Allan.

The pair, who earlier this year teamed up to front BBC renovation series The Italian Job, even performed an opening skit as the characters as they got proceedings underway at the Camden’s Roundhouse venue in London.

Amanda and Alan have recently finished filming a second series of their travel show, as they transform another dilapidated historic home that had been purchased for one Euro, which will then be sold off to raise money for Children in Need and Comic Relief.

She recently said of the season two: “I’m obviously absolutely delighted that Alan and I have been given a second series of a show that we created together.

“This time I’m considering ditching my nail extensions but I’ll certainly be keeping the lashes! I’ve got the Aperol Spritz on ice and I’m being fitted for a new boiler suit as we speak!”

She added: “I adore Alan and this job suits us both perfectly. The sweetest thing about it all is that we can continue to raise more money for charities that make a huge difference to the lives of so many.”

Alan agreed: “So excited to be returning to Italy with my good friend Amanda for more blood sweat and tiles. Can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and transform another Euro house. What could possible go wrong?!!”

The first series of Amanda and Alan’s Italian Job is available on BBC iPlayer now.

Share Button

16 Celebrities Who Appeared In Game Shows Before Finding Fame

We’re used to people using shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent to launch themselves into the spotlight – but what you might not realise is that plenty of household names made their TV debuts in a very different way.

Everyone from Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell to Stephen Fry and Johnny Vegas made their starts appearing on game shows back in the day, with varying levels of success.

Here are 16 examples of celebrities who made appearances on game shows years before making a name for themselves…

Amanda Holden – Blind Date

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="8284" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":7,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9-4WqQl0_o","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"19 year old Amanda Holden on Blind Date in 1991","author":"mustwatchvideos","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGnt_-_UnJT8-rIvxFNIEVQ","provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j9-4WqQl0_o/hqdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":360,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"

"},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"6200f9e9e4b0f8a1b846e672","entryTagsList":"we-love-tv,nostalgia,meghan-markle,simon-cowell,amanda-holden,stephen-fry,miriam-margolyes,","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"6200f9e9e4b0f8a1b846e672","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"cetUnit":"buzz_body"}}”>

[embedded content]

Long before shows like Cutting It, Wild At Heart and Britain’s Got Talent came calling, Mandy made her TV debut when Cilla Black tried to find her a match on Blind Date.

During her 1991 appearance on the show, Amanda introduced herself as a drama student who loved singing the blues as well as classics like Knees Up Mother Brown (??), as well as confessing her ultimate celeb crush was Jack Nicholson.

Sadly, though, it wasn’t to be, with the future BGT star going home without a date… which her potential suitor seemed more than a bit gutted about when he clapped eyes on her for the first time.

Simon Cowell – Sale Of The Century

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="2877" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":13,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzH87s0UF-8","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Simon Cowell making his television debut on Sale of the Century","author":"Auntie Pegg","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjBXAJ4sFw_3hpaheFzUjpw","provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QzH87s0UF-8/hqdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":360,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"

"},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"6200f9e9e4b0f8a1b846e672","entryTagsList":"we-love-tv,nostalgia,meghan-markle,simon-cowell,amanda-holden,stephen-fry,miriam-margolyes,","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"6200f9e9e4b0f8a1b846e672","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"cetUnit":"buzz_body"}}”>

[embedded content]