"BGT's" Holden: Stunned At Finale

"Britain's Got Talent" Judge And Performer Dishes On Her Fellow Judges, Susan Boyle And Finale's Outcome

(CBS)  Amanda Holden, the judge on "Britain's Got Talent" has been a fixture on the British television for more than 15 years. She's not that well-known on this side of the Atlantic, but that's about to change.

Holden stopped by The Early Show to chat about "BGT"'s finale and have some tea with Early Show co-anchors Julie Chen, Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith.

Right now, she's best-known as the glamorous star, who judged the would-be stars next to Simon Cowell on the U.K.'s weird and wonderful reality show, "Britain's Got Talent."

"Amanda is a British national treasure. But she's a lot more than that," said her "BGT" co-host Piers Morgan.

She was trained as an actress in the great vaudevillian tradition - so she can sing and dance too.

"The great thing about Amanda is her versatility," Morgan said. "She is a very funny, naturally entertaining and witty comedic actress.

"She's appeared in some of the most popular dramas in British television, including 'Wild at Heart,' which was set in the African bush and she was fantastic in that until they literally killed her by burning her alive, which was one of my favorite episodes.

That was fiction - in fact Holden has a strong commitment to wildlife.

Offscreen, Holden, a trustee of the Born Free Foundation, has made documentaries about returning animals to the wild. She is also a marathon runner, a shoe lover and we hear she can even yodel.

"Oh, I can't believe that," don't make me yodel," Holden said. "Piers had a charity thing at his son's school, and he made me go down there -- well Piers dressed up as a nun, first of all. I have pictures, actually. Maybe I could put them on American television and kill his career. But yes, I yodeled for charity. Well what are you going to offer me today?"

With some coaxing and a cup of tea, Holden gave in and yodeled.

"She can yodel on cue," Smith joked.

"Listen, I've been working with Simon Cowell for long enough. I can do anything on cue!" Holden said.

Holden is honest when it comes to working alongside Cowell and Morgan.

"Oh, I always say that I am the one with the beating heart. Because neither one of these two have hearts. They're kind of made of stone, to be honest," Holden admitted. "And they also have enormous egos, so as a mummy, as a housewife, I kind of try to kind of bring things down a bit.

"Actually I'm the only one who's done any performing. I'm the only one who's actually qualified to judge, I think."

Holden says she has them sit down as she tries to keep them in order.

"I've grounded Simon twice already, he's such a naughty boy. And I had to send Piers out of the room a couple of times for rude behavior," she said. "I try to keep all the boys in check. I'm the only girl."

Chen asked about the dance group, "Diversity," that won over the underdog Susan Boyle, who everyone thought would win.

"We don't know anything about them. What gives, and were you surprised?" Chen asked.

"I have to say we were all stunned," Holden admitted. "I mean they are fantastic. We were absolutely stunned at the result. We kind of did think it was a given that Susan was going to win.

"These guys, if Justin Timberlake doesn't ask them to appear in a video, I will be very surprised. They are a very tight group of boys. Lots of them are brothers. They're friends, they've been together for five or six years. Phenomenal. Really, really good."

[PWattis]

Amanda Holden is a liability to the CBS Early Show. She cruelly mocked and imitated Susan Boyle on a British comedy show called "Chatty Man" in an episode which aired on Sunday August 16th. A video can be viewed on YouTube. Ms. Holden is a judge on Britain's Got Talent. Susan Boyle was a contestant. This was unprofessional and unethical behavior on the part of a judge toward a contestant. It reflects a betrayal of an implicit, if not explicit, trust that should exist between a talent show judge and contestant. I and many other fans of Susan Boyle will boycott CBS and its sponsors until Amanda Holden is no longer a correspondent with the CBS Early Show.

[antoniof123]

Who cares?

[saxien]

""Amanda is a British national treasure. But she's a lot more than that," said her "BGT" co-host Piers Morgan. "

He's dead right about that, she's also a fornicator, having sex with other gentlemen whilst still married, she is nothing more than a third rate TV bimbo, I see the botox is wearing off some these day's, wonder what her previous husband thought when Piers exposed her infidelity--she wen't nut's when found out, how this pair can work together is anazing, just shows you what the dollar means to these people versus morals, I feel sorry for Susan Boyle who was up against these manicured media predator's.

[jbright9]

My infatuation with Susan Boyle introduced me to Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. I knew of neither before. I have become a fan of both. Amanda is a beautiful woman and is also very likeable. I will enjoy seeing more of her. Good luck with your future endeavors, Amanda.