Towards the end of last year, the presenter announced he’d be taking an extended break from his slot on Heart Breakfast after being told he had stage one laryngeal cancer.
During Friday’s show, he surprised listeners when he returned to the studio, and explained: “Today is the four-month anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. So it’s been four months, and I’ve had enough of hospitals and operations, and it’s just lovely to be back, and I’ve got some news for you. Because I can tell you that as of today, I’m cancer free.”
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Speaking to his usual co-host Amanda Holden and stand-in Jason King, Jamie admitted that his initial diagnosis came as “an enormous shock”.
“I was fully intended to be told that I had a sore throat. And when I was told, ‘oh, it’s probably cancer,’ just, literally, I just didn’t even know what to say,” he recalled. “I mean, it just blew my mind.
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“And so then it’s all about statistics. So the first is, ‘well, you’ll have a one in 10 chance you won’t survive it.’ And you kind of go, ‘oh okay, I’ll take that.’ And then I had to do several surgeries.
“The first surgery wasn’t as successful as we hoped, had a second surgery, and then a third surgery, and each time, I was doing more and more damage to my vocal cords. So, in actual fact, by the third one, they said, ‘well, look, you’ve got a one in six chance you might not be able to talk again’.”
Fortunately, Jamie has now been told he is cancer-free, and will return to work on a permanent basis from Monday onwards.
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Jamie said: “Everyone has been so supportive. It’s been unbelievable and it’s just blown me away. So, I wanted to thank everyone who sent me messages.
“Every single person I’ve ever met or known has been in touch. People I’ve forgotten all about have been in touch. So that has just been amazing.”
Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston were reunited on Friday morning
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Praising guest presenter Jason, Jamie added: “You’ve done such an amazing job. You came in at the last minute, and I know what an upheaval it is.
“You’ve got a young family, and literally, you were told, ‘oh, you’ve got to come in tomorrow,’ and then from then on, you didn’t know how long you were going to do it for – one month, then two months, and then it was three months. And you’ve done such a fantastic job.”
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.
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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.
#CBBUK’s video of Sharon and Louis discussing Simon Cowell has become their most viewed TikTok ever – in just 24 hours – with 3.3 million views and almost a quarter of a million likes! pic.twitter.com/PhALDta1aM
“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.”
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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
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.
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“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.”
I am responding to your interview with the @DailyMailUK News of 12 April. I respect the fact that you feel the need to defend your good friend and employer, Simon Cowell, who is also your husband’s employer, or so I’ve read. However, a couple of your statements…
“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.
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“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
Dymond/Thames/Syco/Shutterstock
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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.
And rather than opt for the obvious by dressing up as Ryan Gosling’s Ken, Alan transformed into his Barbie namesake, Allan.
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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.”
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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.
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.
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.
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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.
But Mandy isn’t the only member of the BGT panel with a surprising game show appearance near the top of her CV.
Simon Cowell’s very first TV appearance was as a contestant on Sale Of The Century, two years before his eventual co-star’s stint on Blind Date.
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He may be best known now for his business decisions, but his time on Sale Of The Century ended in him leaving with 20 quid’s worth of cooking utensils. We wonder when the last time he picked them up was…
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Olly Murs’ optimism came back to bite him somewhat when he was a contestant on Deal Or No Deal, during which he turned down an offer of £26,000 and ended up pocketing just a tenner.
The future chart-topper appeared on the Channel 4 game show two years before shooting to fame on The X Factor, and after becoming a household name, he was invited back to compete in a celebrity special.
Unfortunately, he fared even worse second time around, ending up with just 50p. To make it up to his chosen charity, Olly pledged to donate £5000 of his own money.
We know him best as a member of JLS, who became one of The X Factor’s most successful acts ever in 2007, but Aston has actually been singing on screen for a lot longer than that.
As a teenager, he appeared on Stars In Their Eyes Kids, telling host Matthew Kelly: “Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Michael Jackson.”
He performed a cover of The Jackson 5’s Rockin’ Robin, ultimately finishing in second place.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHJKumWfqs0","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"The Crystal Maze – 1990 Christmas Kids Special","author":"The Crystal Maze","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Fj33A7O3kzdeXp0jVgi-g","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"To celebrate this coming holiday season, here’s the 1990 Christmas kids special featuring the original Maze Master, Richard O’Brien. He guides a team of intrepid child contestants through the epic game show adventure in this Christmas special!\n\nFollow our social media for the latest Crystal Maze news!\n►https://twitter.com/thecrystalmaze\n►https://www.facebook.com/TheCrystalMazeTV/\n►https://www.instagram.com/thecrystalmazetv/\n\n#TheCrystalMaze #CrystalMaze #ChristmasSpecial","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bHJKumWfqs0/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"124","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":"
And speaking of celebs who appeared on TV classics as teenagers, let’s talk about Michael Underwood, who was a contestant on a kids’ special of The Crystal Maze when he was 15.
The presenter was the first of the young contestants to take on a challenge, but failed to win his team any crystals in either of the physical or skill-based tasks he took on.
Michael’s presenting career began almost a decade later, when he began hosting the dream-fulfilment show Whatever You Want.
Minus his trademark beard, Joe Wicks suffered a very stressful blunder when his buzzer appeared to not be working, leaving him rather vexed, as you can see in the video above.
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Just four years before The Office would achieve huge success, Stephen Merchant was a contestant on Blockbusters back in 1997.
Despite getting off to a good start, it wasn’t ultimately a strong showing for the comedy writer and actor, finishing with 15 points to his opponents’ 50.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L28b4c9y2II","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Countdown – Tuesday 26th August 2008 – Part 1 Of 3 [HD]","author":"countdowngoofs","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrkzdOoeTcrvSLrRDi80vag","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Broadcast on Tuesday 26th August 2008 – Part 1 Of 3 – Des O’Connor & Carol Vorderman host the show in which contestants race against the clock to pit their wits against vowels, consonants and numbers. With Susie Dent and dictionary corner guest Arthur Smith – All copyright remains with Yorkshire Television & ITV Productions – PLEASE COMMENT!","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L28b4c9y2II/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"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":"
Another comedy star with a previous game show appearance in their past is Taskmaster favourite Alex Horne.
Alex did a great job on Countdown, winning three consecutive shows in 2008 during Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman’s tenure, before he was eventually bested.
Having gone on to become a popular comic, Alex has returned to Countdown several times, appearing as a guest in Dictionary Corner as well as a panellist on the show’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats specials.
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","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrD_6wApzIg","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Who Wants to be a Millionaire Mark Labbett (The Beast) 29th April 2006","author":"Ben Crowl | The Home Of Millionaire","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrwcOkjonY5As8aEiL3uEZA","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"On this episode of WWTBAM, we see Mark Labbett AKA The Beast from ITV’s The Chase, return to take on the Millionaire computer and it’s cash for questions.\nHow will he get on…. you’ll have to watch to find out!\n\nIf you are enjoying my videos, please Like, Comment and Subscribe for more.\n\nSocial Media:\nFacebook: BenCrowlWWTBAM","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jrD_6wApzIg/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"18","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":"
Mark “The Beast” Labbett is one of the UK’s most famous quizzing experts, so it’s probably no great surprise that before finding fame on The Chase, he gave a few game shows a go, including Mastermind and Fifteen To One.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was perhaps his most successful attempt. Having failed to land in the hot seat when he played Fastest Finger First in 2005, Mark – who was then working as a supply teacher – returned a year later, leaving with an impressive £32,000.
Much later, he made an appearance on the rebooted version of the show in 2020, serving as Charlotte Church’s “phone a friend” during a celebrity special.
Her specialist subject was “The Life And Works Of Lorenz Hart”, the lyricist behind standards including Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, The Lady Is A Tramp and My Funny Valentine. Sadly, no clip exists of Anne in action, but enjoy this snap of her looking ever-so-80s in the Mastermind studio all the same.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA_3LfuwVyw","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Stephen Fry on University Challenge 1980","author":"atariman1988","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQJgdLKhSVWCWBuh9ZRiOWA","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"A clip of Stephen Fry on University Challenge in 1980. NOTE: I do NOT have a copy of the full show. This clip was shown as part of the BBC show ‘Before They Were Famous’ and this is all they showed. The laughter was added for that show, and would not have been on the original UC broadcast. Also note that this is NOT a clip from ‘The Young Ones’. This really was Stephen Fry appearing on the real University Challenge in 1980.","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jA_3LfuwVyw/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":"
Then in his early 20s, comedian and actor Stephen Fry appeared as a contestant on University Challenge in 1980, representing Queen’s College, Cambridge.
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He’d later achieve huge success as a quiz show host, when he began presenting the hit panel show QI.
Miriam Margolyes – University Challenge
Miriam Margolyes
Another iconic Cambridge alum to compete on University Challenge was the always-outrageous Miriam Margolyes.
We say “always-outrageous” because Miriam has long claimed that this appearance on University Challenge was the first case of anyone saying the f-word on the BBC after struggling to contain her disappointment about a botched answer.
The moment itself was censored, though Miriam has insisted it was very much apparent what she was saying – though sadly a clip of the explicit outburst doesn’t appear to exist.
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Around the celebrations for Sir Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday, the BBC dug out this old clip of him competing on Blankety Blank, where he tried to match his answers to celebrity panellists like Freddie Starr, Ruth Madoc and Roy Kinnear.
He went out on the first round during a 1983 Christmas special – but at least he got to keep the iconic Blankety Blank cheque book and pen, eh?
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Deal Or No Deal worked a little differently in America, where contestants had briefcases opened by models, rather than boxes being unveiled by their fellow players.
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One such model was the future Duchess of Sussex, then an aspiring actor by the name of Meghan Markle. She would, of course, later achieve success as part of the cast of Suits, before her humanitarian work led her to meeting (and, indeed, marrying) Prince Harry.
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