A look into Alan Carr and Amanda Holden's long-lasting friendship and how they are now closer than ever after filming the new BBC One show

Best friends Amanda Holden and Alan Carr are back for a second series of Amanda & Alan's Italian Job.

Series one, which saw the pair transform a run-down Sicilian apartment they bought for just €1 before selling it for charity, was born from Amanda's desire to do something nice for Alan after his divorce.

Alan and his party planner husband announced their divorce in January 2022 after 13 years together and three years of marriage.

But how did the pair become such good friends, now that they're closer than ever, and what do they do together off-screen?

Find out how they met and more below.

Alan and Amanda met on his Channel 4 show Alan Carr Chatty Man's first series – in 2009.

She appeared on the funny man's couch a further seven times over the next seven years, as the pair grew closer.

It even convinced the two to star in an episode of ITV show DNA Journey to see if they shared a distant relationship, but with no luck.

Two years earlier, in 2019, presenting icons Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly remarkably discovered they were distantly related.

Appearing on Heart Breakfast, the Britain's Got Talend presenter said: 'There's no connection between us other than that we love each other, but all the time I was hoping…

'All the time I was hoping I was related to Alan Carr… but I'm not.'

Alan, who appeared as a guest on the radio show, joked: 'I was scared of being related to Amanda because I saw that Ant and Dec were and I was like, 'Oh no no no.'

“But then of course we would see our family members and I would be surprised: literally go behind that door and there is your family member.

“So we went there and Amanda, they didn't know who they were related to besides me and Amanda, and I'm not being rude…

“They hoped it was me!”

Seeing the funny side, Amanda added: 'It was all so funny, they didn't know who was coming around the corner and of course they see Alan and they all pray that they have Alan as a relationship! '

And since then the duo have only grown closer, with Alan revealing that their shared renovation project was a big part of that.

He told The sun: 'Amanda and I were showbiz friends, but by the end of the summer we were such good friends. We always text.”

Renovating wasn't the only thing they did in the first film series in Italy, with Amanda also admitting she was trying to find Alan a new man.

So 2023 became the year in which they reached their friendly peak.

Alan presented the radio host with her 52nd birthday cake – a baked bidet, in reference to a joke that stemmed from their time filming together – last February in the company of some of her other showbiz peers such as Alesha Dixon, Ashlee Roberts and Simon Cowell.

They always seem to find time to go out with each other despite their busy work schedules, and sometimes even attend red carpet events together.

Amanda and Alan worked together at the Attitude Awards in October, which they presented in a duo outfit as Margot Robbie's Barbie and Michael Cera's character Allan Sherwood respectively.

They also ended the year together at a wild party in Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire.

The Britain's Got Talent judge, 52, shared a fun gallery of Instagram photos documenting the night out, alongside her daughters Lexi, 17, Hollie, 11, and a group of their friends.

Ahead of filming the new series of their Italian Job, Amanda said she was 'delighted' to return – and no doubt as the pair shared their comedy experiences together during the months they were filming.

In one instance, Amanda filmed herself pranking her co-star by crawling up behind him and startling him, prompting Alan to exclaim that she was a 'little b****'.

Their new show debuts on BBC One at 8.30pm.