UK Presenter Amanda Holden Says She’s ‘Soaked to the Skin’ as She Cycles 250 Miles for Charity

Presenter and actress Amanda Holden is in for a challenging ride as she cycles 250 miles across England for charity.

In a voice note sent to British radio station Heart, Holden updated listeners on her journey as she biked up a hill during a downpour, revealing that her body was “soaked to the skin.”

“You’ve got me at a wrong point. I’m going up a hill,” the 53-year-old huffed. “The weather is biblical. It’s coming down in stair rods, as they said on [the movie] ‘Paddington.’ I’m honestly soaked to the skin, my bum, everything’s wet, but only my thumbs are aching.”

Holden thanked her supporters and shared the surprising donation she received from the team behind the Universal Pictures film “The Wild Robot.”

“I’m lucky at the moment, and I’m thinking that could be because of the amount of support we’re getting, and I am constantly putting my thumbs up, maybe it’s that! But keep those donations coming in,” she said.

“This morning, we got the best news. ‘The Wild Robot’ has donated 100,000 pounds [$130,800] to Global’s Make Some Noise, so that’s what’s keeping us going in this blinking awful weather.”

The “Britain’s Got Talent” judge is cycling from her mother’s house in Bude, Cornwall, to Heart headquarters in London’s Leicester Square to raise funds for Global’s Make Some Noise, which supports smaller charities across the UK.

The challenge kicked off Monday and will continue throughout the week as she bikes through Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Surrey before completing the trip in London on Friday, in time for Global’s Make Some Noise Day.

When speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Holden shared how she prepared for the five-day journey and the fitness goals she planned to achieve along the way.

“I’ve got padded gussets and bum butter, but that’s just every day for me,” she told the outlet. “I’m completely covered.

“We reckon we’ll be burning 15,000 calories a day. I’ve still got a Saganaki tummy from my holiday in Corfu, so I’m doing this now for ­charity—and for weight loss.”

In a recent Instagram post, Holden met with cheering fans and supporters on the road as she continued to ride, rain or shine.

“Thank you for the incredible support for @noholdenback,” Heart captioned the post. “Your donations and messages mean the world to her. Let’s keep the momentum going! She’s riding hard to raise as much as possible for @globals_make_some_noise. Keep cheering her on!”

Holden’s Career

Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Feb. 16, 1971, Holden moved west to Bournemouth at 16 before attending the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, where she graduated in 1992.

Holden appeared on TV for the first time in 1991 as a contestant on the game show “Blind Date” and made her film debut as Pamela in 1996’s “Intimate Relations.” She became known for her TV appearances in “Jonathan’s Creek,” “Marple,” and “Wild at Heart,” the latter of which she appeared in 23 episodes from 2006 to 2008.

In 2007, Holden joined the competition show “Britain’s Got Talent” as a judge alongside Simon Cowell, where she has remained ever since, completing 17 seasons. She also co-hosts the radio show “Heart Breakfast” with Jamie Theakston on weekday mornings.

Holden is no stranger to charity work. In 2008, she ran the London Marathon for the Born Free Foundation in four hours and 13 minutes. In 2011, the media personality was sponsored to bake cakes for children at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

In 2013. Holden released her autobiography “No Holding Back,” which became a Sunday Times bestseller. She also dabbled in music, releasing her debut studio album “Songs From My Heart,” which peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart in 2020.