!['CUSHIONS LED TO A BREAKDOWN!'](https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1672621380/articles/9tsEeZH4E1672695745658/CUSHIONS-LED-TO-A-BREAKDOWN.jpg)
Last summer Amanda Holden turned her Instagram followers green with envy when she posted stunning images of a trip to southern Italy.
But the Britain’s Got Talent judge wasn’t enjoying a sun-soaked getaway. She was, in fact, embarking on a gruelling renovation project alongside her close pal, the Chatty Man himself, Alan Carr.
Incredibly, the pair bought two apartments in the sun-kissed hills of rural Sicily for a mere €1 each, and they spent the summer doing them up. With the properties due to be auctioned off for Children In Need this year, there was a lot of pressure to do an outstanding job to ensure they raise as much money as possible.
The €1 homes are part of a scheme to regenerate the area. However, having only seen a photograph of the apartments before they arrived, the pair were shocked to discover it was a much bigger project than they first imagined. Both properties were in a dilapidated state and Alan, 46, is keen for viewers to know he and Amanda, 51, did actually roll up their sleeves.
“I know there’s a cynicism and people think that we’re there for five minutes with the cameras and then we go,” he says, “But honestly, we were there all day cleaning them out – and there was poo up the walls!”
Short of huge jobs that required a qualified pair of hands, the duo got as involved as they could.
This story is from the January 09, 2023 edition of New UK.
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This story is from the January 09, 2023 edition of New UK.
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