Amanda Holden praises pal Sheridan Smith as she prepares to reveal duet with the actress

Amanda Holden has teamed up with Sheridan Smith for a track on her debut album, Songs from My Heart.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge, 49, has flexed her vocal chords with a collection of her favourite musical numbers, with Funny Girl star Smith, 39, joining Holden for her cover of I Know Him So Well from the musical Chess.

Holden chose to approach Smith for her album despite not being particularly close with the star – with BGT co-judge David Walliams having to make the introduction.

“I loved her for years and we’ve always hugged when we met but we didn’t know each other,” Holden exclusively told the Evening Standard.

“I really wanted her to duet with me on I Know Him So Well so I asked David Walliams for her number.”

Recording while Smith was expecting her first child Billy, Holden added: “She was heavily pregnant but she couldn’t have been nicer or more enthusiastic when I called her and the final result is better than I even imagined.”

The idea to release a full album from songs comes after Holden wowed record labels by recording her own version of The Greatest Showman’s Tightrope for her husband, Chris Hughes, as they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.

The actress explained that each song she has chosen to cover has some deep personal significance from ‘With You’ reminding her of her stillborn son Theo, to ‘When She Loved Me’, which Holden associates with her 14-year-old daughter Lexi.

While Holden’s debut single, With You, is out now, the star previously released a cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow to raise money for NHS Charities Together during the coronavirus pandemic.

The single also topped the iTunes chart, with all proceeds going to fight Covid-19.