Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden has called for an inquiry into requirements for Covid testing before international travel after spending more than £2500 on tests for a family holiday to Portugal.
The TV star, 50, says she was fortunate to afford her break at the start of June during the school holidays, but vows to “never again” throw money away for the sake of a break.
“We need to stand together, we stopped the poll tax,” she says.
Speaking about the break, she says: “Getting there cost over £2500 in tests.
“I don’t want to rant on and on about it, but I think that is taking advantage of the British public.
“I’m in a position where I can afford to chuck that money. It’s awful. It’s a huge amount of money - that is literally chucking it away. Someone’s taking the p***.”
She says it was “worth” the fee to get away with her family, but vows: “Never again am I paying that amount of money. There should be some kind of inquiry into that.
“It was worth it in the sense that we got away as a family and we were so fortunate to be away. I can’t moan about it because so many other people didn’t get away, and we got home and safe and all of that.”
She adds that the tests are important for health reasons, and says: “If I’d chosen to I could have come home, and got in a queue at Faro airport and got one for 25 Euros, but I probably would have caught Covid because the queue was around the block.
Amanda describes the traffic light system as “stupid”, but confirms her family returned from Portugal before the country was moved from the green list to amber on June 8th. “We were lucky,” she says.
“Half the countries on an amber list... essentially we’d be safer if we went to those countries than we are in our own country, so what the hell,” she adds. “None of it makes any sense.”
Speaking to Alan Carr’s Life’s a Beach podcast, Amanda went on to complain that events such as Wimbledon tennis tournament or “anywhere where there’s money needed” are permitted, yet she complains: “I can’t go to my children’s sports day, which are outside, but Wimbledon can happen. My children were so disappointed.”
Meanwhile, she reveals she and husband Chris Hughes “had a go” at joining the Mile High Club, but admits there was “too much scrutiny”, so they “never quite made it”.
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