Amanda Holden has admitted that while she used to detest her fellow Britain’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan, she has went on to develop a deep affection for the former newspaper editor.

Speaking to Take It Easy she said: “I didn’t want to breathe the same air as him three years ago, but now we are firm friends. I can basically say anything to him and he can say anything to me and we know we are not going to offend each other. He’s actually become a bit of a rock.”

Holden also described Simon Cowell as “wonderful” with a “dry sense of humour”.

She added: “When I showed him a picture of myself as a clown in [television show] Big Top he said, ‘Amanda, you look wonderful – you were clearly born to be a clown’. And I remind him that he’s older than me and is now eligible for Saga holidays.”