Amanda Holden’s rep addresses Saturday Night Takeaway absence amid Sharon Osbourne row

Holden’s name appeared in ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’ TV credits but was nowhere to be seen on show

Amanda Holden’s representatives have addressed her absence from last night’s episode of Saturday Night Takeaway (13 April).

ITV viewers were left confused when Holden was listed as a special guest in the closing credits, but didn’t make an appearance on the programme.

Holden’s name was shown alongside Davina McCall, Simon Cowell and Ashley Roberts, all of whom appeared on Saturday night’s show.

This led viewers to speculate that Holden had pulled out following a public disagreement with Sharon Osbourne that had emerged on Saturday morning when the former X Factor judge issued a scathing tweet to a recent interview Holden gave.

One viewer noticed Holden’s absence from Saturday Night Takeaway and wrote: “Can we talk about @itvtakeaway where was @AmandaHolden???

“Where is Amanda Holden may I ask?” wrote one viewer, as one joked in reply: “Drafting a response to Sharon.”

Another viewer wrote: “Amanda Holden going AWOL and not turning up for Saturday Night Takeaway. Sharon Osbourne rattled her.”

However, a representative for Holden has said that her absence was due to “scheduling changes”.

Sharon Osbourne publicly addressed Amanda Holden for an interview she gave to The Daily Mail (Getty Images)

“Amanda was to be a guest on SNT for the airing of her prank on Dec. Due to scheduling changes this was shown last week. Therefore Amanda was not required on the show this evening,” they told The Independent.

A representative for ITV added: “Holly [Willoughby], Gino [D’Campo], Amanda, and Olly [Murs] couldn’t make it into the studio tonight due to prior commitments.”

Disagreement between Holden and Osbourne became apparent when Britain’s Got Talent judge Holden criticised Osbourne and her former X Factor co-judge Louis Walsh for the way they spoke about Simon Cowell during their joint stint on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, calling them “bitter and pathetic”.

In an interview with The Daily Mail published on Friday, Holden, 53, said: “I hated seeing certain people in a reality show dissing Simon – he’s the person who’s given them all the chances, given them a lot of money and a lifestyle they probably wouldn’t have had.”

Holden said watching ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ was like watching pantomime (Getty Images)

“It’s bitter and pathetic. It was like Cinderella with her two sisters in the background - just stabby, stabby, stabby.”

She continued: “I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s like watching a pantomime.’ I just think they look so nasty and awful.”

Osbourne then responded to the interview by posting a long message on X/Twitter addressed to Holden, in which she told the Heart radio host that they would never be in the “same league”.

“The truth is, you don’t know me, Amanda,” began Osbourne. “You know nothing about my history in the music industry, my achievements, the artists I have worked with, the shows that I’ve produced, and my global celebrity.

“Unlike you, the brand of Sharon Osbourne is known worldwide.”

Osbourne told Holden that they will never be in the ‘same league’ (Celebrity Big Brother/ITV )

“There are many countries that I could work in if I choose to however, I don’t have the ambition or time to do so, and unlike you, I don’t work in radio or pantomime.”

She continued: “I have been blessed with an amazing lifestyle throughout my entire life.  Before you were born, I was living in a mansion in Beverly Hills and continue to do so today and continue to have my country estate in England as well.”

Osbourne claimed her “money and success” were not a result of appearing in Cowell’s talent shows, but came from her reality show The Osbournes, as well as her music career prior to X Factor.

“Amanda, I think you’re missing the point here. No disrespect to Simon Cowell but he NEEDED ME for musical credibility on X Factor and I delivered for him and together all of us made a great team.”

The Independent has contacted both Holden and Cowell’s representatives for comment.