Amanda Holden and Alan Carr open up about their close friendship and filming in Italy
Showbiz favourites and good pals Amanda Holden and Alan Carr have teamed up once again to renovate another crumbling home for series two of Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job, which will be put up for sale for charity. They choose empty houses that are being sold for €1 by Italian municipalities in a bid to bring life back into forgotten towns.
While series one took them to Sicily, this time they head to Tuscany.
Here, Amanda, 52, and Alan, 47, talk about the secret to their friendship, the paranormal activity they encountered in the house and the dirtiest jobs they took on.
Hi both. How did you feel about the success of the first series? Amanda: It was a relief because we came up with the idea, and we had interest in it. It felt like a reality show. People think they know you, but they don’t. When you’re under stress, you’re bashing walls down and being your absolute authentic self, it’s more worrying because you’re totally exposed. Then if people don’t like you, that would be upsetting.
Alan: Also, we didn’t really know what we were making. It was very intense. We were there for months. One day it felt like Wish You Were Here..?, then Grand Designs and Love Island! People know who I am, but they never see this side of us. We argued.
What is the secret to your friendship? Amanda: For Alan, tolerance! We both don’t take ourselves seriously, we’re not precious. We’re quite easy-going. The amount of times [in] this series where Alan had to put an umbrella up so I could have a wee in the bushes and he’s shielding me. We looked at each other and went, ‘Who else do we know that would take all this in their stride?’
Alan: It was a particular low point in that car park, holding up an umbrella, then hearing tinkle, tinkle behind the bush. That’s a good friend. Me and Amanda could go to Glastonbury now! We can do anything together. We found ourselves in really odd situations, but I feel we’re honest with each other. I don’t think you can fake that.
What was it like going to Tuscany? Alan: We were like, ‘Do we wanna go to Italy again?’ But Sicily is so different to Tuscany, it feels new.
Amanda: The Sicilian location last year felt a lot more glamorous. This one was more tranquil and secluded; it was in the middle of nowhere in a crevice of a mountain.
How did you pick the house for this series? Alan: Last year Amanda chose the house, so the production company said, ‘You choose the house this time,
