Amanda Holden teamed up with Alan Carr for a new TV show to cheer him up after his marriage broke down.
Comedian Alan, 46, split from his ex-husband Paul Drayon at the beginning of this year, after a 13-year relationship.
He is now set to star alongside Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda in a new BBC series, titled The Italian Job, which will see them do up their depilated Sicilian house and turn it into a luxury holiday home.
Amanda, 51, recently revealed that she wanted to take on the show to help give her close friend Alan a much-needed distraction.
‘He’s been through a lot of personal stuff,’ she said. ‘I want to give him a project that’s going to start with something in tatters – much like him – and at the end there’ll be this beautiful building,’ she said.
‘And Alan too – he’ll have a bit of a makeover, mentally,’ Amanda continued to The Mirror.
‘He’ll feel a little bit more optimistic and a bit more hopeful about the future, maybe.’
Alan and Paul announced their split with a joint statement last January.
‘After 13 years as a couple and three years of marriage, Alan Carr and Paul Drayton would like to announce they are separating,’ it read.
‘They have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go their separate ways. We request that their privacy is respected at this sensitive time.’
The Italian Job was born after Amanda purchased two €1 properties in a little town nestled in the sun-kissed hills of rural Sicily.
‘Alan and I came up with the idea for this show together and approached the BBC as we knew it was the perfect home,’ she said in May when the show was announced.
‘We are both very passionate about interior design and we’ll be very hands on, injecting some much-needed life into an area of Sicily that’s in need of some Holden and Carr magic.
‘Although we’re on the same page most of the time, I’m more practical and organised than Alan. However, he’s up for some shameless bargaining so that will help us keep on budget!’
Amanda & Alan: The Italian Job launches on January 6 at 8.30pm on BBC One.
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