'ALAN HAD TO PUT AN UMBRELLA UP SO I COULD HAVE A WEE IN THE BUSHES!'

Amanda Holden and Alan Carr get intimate in Tuscany for the new series of Italian Job

- ANNA BAILEY

There’s nothing like doing up a house together to test a bond. So when pals Amanda Holden and Alan Carr teamed up to renovate a derelict property in Sicily earlier this year, viewers got a glimpse into their friendship, foibles and all.

And they loved it. So the duo are returning to Italy for a new epic project in Tuscany for their upcoming eight-part series of Amanda & Alan’s Italian Job. And this time things get even more intimate.

“The amount of times Alan had to put an umbrella up so I could have a wee in the bushes. We looked at each other and went, ‘Who else do we know who would take all this in their stride?’” Amanda says.

So what’s the secret to their friendship? “For Alan, tolerance!” she says. “We both don’t take ourselves seriously, we’re not precious.”

Alan adds, “We’re honest with each other. I don’t think you can fake that.”

The new series follows on from their Sicilian renovation project, which saw cameras get up close with the pair as they smashed walls down and dealt with dodgy toilets.

Alan says the scrutiny felt exposing. “People never see this side of us. We argued. We bickered,” he tells us.

“It was very intense. We were there for months. I mean, one day, it felt like it was Wish You Were Here?, then it felt like Grand Designs, then it was like Love Island!

“I had a camera on me all the time. I might have had a few Aperol Spritzes, and then the camera’s coming in for the close-up in the morning. I’ve never been so scrutinised.”