Amanda Holden's addresses infidelity as she hosts Netflix dating show

Cheat: Unfinished Business promises to be a far cry from the innocence of Blind Date, with its explosive revelations of one-night stands and secret affairs. Amanda is convinced that this added depth will enhance the viewing experience.

"A dating show like Blind Date is fun," Amanda explains. "You get to see people at the beginning, and it's all fun at the start of the relationship. This is much more interesting because there are two sides, and we are so quick to judge. But our show will demonstrate how your judgement might change throughout the process. It will be up and down and all over the place. There's fear and tears and love and heartache."

Amanda has candidly opened up about her past relationship woes, including the end of her marriage to Les Dennis, which was marred by her affair with Neil Morrissey, back in 2000 during the filming of a BBC show.

Reflecting on the past in a 2013 Good Housekeeping interview, Amanda expressed remorse over the negative attention Neil received: "Neil rightly or wrongly got loads of stick. I feel like it was my fault – I was the one who was married."

She also shared her desire to change public perception of Neil, highlighting his supportive nature during that time: "I want to change the general perception of him, as he was very caring and very loving and very worried about me because I lost so much weight. He used to cook for me and look after me and babysit the dogs."

Despite her tumultuous romantic history, Amanda is now happily married to Chris Hughes since 2008, with who she has two daughters, Lexi, 19, and Hollie, 13.

Amanda is enthusiastic about the format of her new show, acknowledging its potential to captivate audiences with the complexities of a love triangle.

"The topic [of cheating] is contentious, obviously, and difficult," Amanda admits. "I think it makes for a more interesting theme. The show is not like anything else, it's layered and it's intelligent and it's empathetic."

The show doesn't avoid the pain of heartbreak, featuring counsellor Paul who assists couples in facing harsh realities. Amanda found herself moved to tears watching the participants struggle with infidelity.

 

Amanda shared: "I did get emotionally involved, as you would expect. In the early days of filming, I was trying my best to not show too much, because when you've read the research on the couples that are taking part and then you see the body language and the tears and them trying to calm down. All the vulnerabilities that humans go through when something like this happens... it's hard not to be invested in that yourself. I was trying so hard not to give anything away, and then I just sort of let that go because it was a bit impossible for me."

Despite her own affair having been in the public eye, Amanda maintains that infidelity touches almost everyone at some point. "I think it's a worldwide thing and I think everybody's going to understand it," she says. "Everyone's going to have somebody or something that they relate to."

For both Amanda and Paul, watching participants suffer through deceit and manipulative behaviours proved challenging. "It was about getting questions answered and getting the truth out. Some were saying to their partners, 'You make me feel like I'm going mad,'" Amanda recalls.

The contestants had an inkling there was honesty in their suspicions: "They always knew that there was a truth to their feelings, but they felt like they were going nuts. For both men and women that were cheated on, getting to the truth was a relief."