Amanda Holden has said she owes Simon Cowell for helping to repair her reputation by giving her a job on Britain's Got Talent.
The actress was branded a marriage wrecker when she cheated on husband Les Dennis with Neil Morrissey, but has said getting a judge's role on the ITV talent show helped to bring her back into the public's good books.
Amanda, who is now married to Chris Hughes and has two daughters, said: "I owe Simon a debt for that - or he keeps telling me I do! Before that, I had a huge drama career. I was doing Wild At Heart, so I was getting back into the fold of not being a threatening woman, which is how I'd been perceived.
"But being on national television [on BGT], being able to be me, then people could really judge me. Not everyone's going to like me, but at least they can see me and not just read about me."
Amanda, 42, said of Les: "We were together for 10 years. When I saw him do really well on MasterChef, I was thrilled, and I'm thrilled for him that he's happily married with two gorgeous children. He's with people who cherish him and who are right for him. We were just not right for each other."
Talking about her reputation being ruined by the affair, she said: "The thing that angers me is that, if I was a man, it [the bad image] would have all ended years ago.
"If I was Lenny Henry or Angus Deayton or any of the others, but it's only ever me. I'm not like this slapper, I haven't put it about. I was engaged twice. I was a relationship girl."
No Holding Back by Amanda Holden is out now, published by Simon & Schuster.
