Updated: 8 Dec 2025Author:
David Frederickson

Amanda Holden's bare bum Fashion Awards gown turns a mother daughter night out into a national talking point

Amanda Holden hit the Fashion Awards 2025 at London's Royal Albert Hall in a black satin gown that looked classic from the front and completely unbothered from the back.
The Celia Kritharioti dress featured a corset bodice, full skirt and a thong style cut out that left her bum on open display for the cameras.
She walked the blue carpet with daughter Lexi, who chose a sheer embellished gown, instantly turning the pair into the night's most talked about mother daughter duo.
Viewers flooded social media and daytime shows with reactions, from “you get sexier with age” to “put your bum away, you are better than this.”
Lorraine Kelly weighed in on her morning show, declaring the look “ridiculous but gorgeous” and admitting that it will definitely get Amanda noticed.

The Fashion Awards red carpet that belonged to Amanda's backside

Respectable from the front, pure chaos from the back

On paper, Amanda's Fashion Awards look was classic: a black strapless satin gown, fitted bodice, full skirt and a large bow detail cinching everything in. From the front, she looked like every glossy red carpet round up's dream, with sleek glam hair, glowing skin and the air of someone who knows her angles.

Then she turned around and revealed that the back of the dress had essentially decided to go on its own adventure, dropping so low it exposed the lower edge of the corset and a very deliberate flash of bum. The skirt draped away to create a thong effect, leaving photographers scrambling for the best angle and producing images that daytime television could not wait to zoom in on.

A Royal Albert Hall moment that drowned out half the guest list

The Fashion Awards 2025 were packed with big names, from pop stars to Hollywood regulars, but the second Amanda stepped onto the blue carpet the focus narrowed. Held at the Royal Albert Hall and hosted by Colman Domingo, the event was meant to be about British fashion's brightest talents, yet social feeds quickly turned into an Amanda highlight reel.

Clips of her walking up the steps with the skirt swishing behind her, then pivoting to reveal the thong detail, racked up millions of views across platforms. It is hard to overshadow an entire industry gala, but exposing a carefully moisturised bum on one of the biggest fashion nights of the year is certainly one way to try.

Lexi's elegant sheer gown and the mother daughter brand machine

Lexi quietly builds a modelling portfolio while mum brings the headlines

Amanda did not arrive solo, she brought nineteen year old daughter Lexi, who has been slowly building a modelling career with campaigns and catwalk appearances. Lexi chose a sheer black gown with intricate embellishment, the kind of look that whispers high fashion rather than shouting for attention.

Side by side, the pair offered a neat visual narrative: mother in theatrical satin, daughter in cool, modern see through glamour. It looked less like a casual family outing and more like a soft launch for the next phase of Lexi's fashion career, with Amanda playing proud hype woman and walking press release.

Family branding on the blue carpet

In recent years Amanda has increasingly used big events to spotlight Lexi, from premieres to fashion weeks, and this appearance doubled down on that strategy. The cameras that came for the thong back gown inevitably captured Lexi too, giving her valuable exposure without her needing to wear anything quite as polarising.

For brands and agencies, that combination is gold: a headline grabbing parent whose outfit guarantees coverage, and a poised young model who can be booked for more conventional campaigns the next day. It is a smart example of family branding, even if most viewers were too busy staring at satin to clock the long game.

The internet reacts: confidence goals or classy line crossed

“You get sexier with age” versus “put your bum away”

As soon as the first red carpet shots hit news sites, reaction divided along very familiar lines. Fans praised Amanda for embracing a bold, body confident look at fifty four, arguing that she has earned the right to wear whatever makes her feel powerful after decades in the industry.

Comments like “you get sexier with age” and “absolute goals” filled her social feeds, with many women saying they loved seeing a midlife star refuse polite invisibility. Others, though, thought the bum reveal tipped over from daring into tacky, especially on a night out with her daughter, and begged her to choose something “classy” next time.

Why the mum angle made the backlash louder

A lot of the criticism centred on the fact that Lexi was at her side, with some viewers claiming the look set the wrong example for a young woman starting out in fashion. That argument slid quickly into moral panic territory, with people who have never met either of them suddenly very concerned about their dinner table conversations.

Supporters countered that seeing a confident mother comfortable in her own skin can be positive, especially in a culture that often sidelines older women. The tension between those viewpoints is exactly why the story kept trending, because nothing gets Britain talking like questions about what women should or should not wear in front of their children.

Lorraine Kelly turns the bum shot into breakfast television

“Ridiculous, gorgeous and definitely not an accident”

The inevitable daytime discussion arrived on Lorraine, where the host reviewed Fashion Awards looks with her styling team. When Amanda's dress appeared on screen from behind, Lorraine did what any self respecting breakfast presenter would do and yelled an enthusiastic “wahey” before dissolving into laughter.

She quickly clarified that the bum reveal was very much intentional, asking her experts to confirm that nothing had slipped out of place and this was simply how the gown was designed. Then she summed it up with the line that has followed Amanda around ever since, saying the look was “ridiculous” and “gorgeous” and absolutely guaranteed to get her noticed.

Daytime judgement and the national dress code

The Lorraine segment crystallised the whole debate into a neat three minute clip that could be endlessly shared, captioned and argued over. On one side were viewers delighted that daytime television was willing to appreciate a cheeky fashion risk rather than wag its finger at it.

On the other were those who felt that Lorriane's warm response normalised outfits they considered too extreme for a mainstream event, sparking mini think pieces about the decline of standards. In reality, the show simply mirrored what the country was doing already, using Amanda's bum as a convenient canvas for wider anxieties about age, sexiness and public decorum.

The gown itself: Celia Kritharioti drama with a thong twist

How the design walks the line between couture theatre and Instagram thirst trap

The dress came from Greek designer Celia Kritharioti, known for sculpted eveningwear with a high drama streak. On Amanda, the front bodice hugged the torso with a corset shape, while the skirt fell in glossy folds that looked every inch the elegant gala gown when she faced the cameras straight on.

It was the back where the designer's sense of humour kicked in, cutting away fabric to reveal a thong style strap and framing the lower back in a way that made the wearer the entire talking point. It is the kind of construction that demands confidence, double sided tape and the absolute refusal to bend over in front of flashbulbs, and Amanda clearly signed that contract happily.

Why it works better in motion than in stills

Video clips from the carpet show that the look makes more sense in motion, with the skirt swaying just enough to give glimpses without turning every step into a full reveal. There is a playful catwalk energy to the way Amanda turns, pauses and lets the dress hit its marks, as if she knows she is starring in a one woman short film called “This Is My Back Now.”

Stills, however, freeze the most revealing angles and strip away that choreography, which is partly why they feel more shocking than the footage. In a world where screenshots travel faster than context, any outfit designed around movement is always going to be at the mercy of the pause button.

Age, control and the British obsession with bum flashing

Fifty four and fully in charge of the narrative

One reason the story has stuck is Amanda's age, which many commentators highlight either as a compliment or a criticism. Supporters see a woman in her fifties choosing her own level of exposure, refusing to fade quietly into tasteful midi dresses and beige carpets just because the calendar says so.

Critics, meanwhile, sometimes frame their discomfort as concern, hinting that bold fashion at that age is a bid to cling to youth rather than an expression of taste. That double standard is telling, because when younger stars flash skin the debate tends to focus on trend, while older women are invited to justify their very existence in a thong cut gown.

From seaside postcards to prime time rear views

The uproar also fits neatly into a long British tradition of slapstick bum humour, from saucy seaside postcards to Carry On films and panto gags. The difference here is that the cheekiness is wrapped in couture satin and presented on a high culture stage rather than a comedy sketch show.

That clash between high fashion and low humour gives the images an extra jolt, as if the national love of a good bum joke has snuck into the Royal Albert Hall in a borrowed gown. It is no wonder the internet could not look away, because the scenario feels both gleefully daft and oddly familiar.

What this means for Amanda Holden's fashion reputation

Serial rule breaker or savvy operator

This is far from Amanda's first wardrobe controversy, as she has a long history of plunging necklines and thigh high splits on talent show judging panels. Over time she has built a persona that combines girl next door warmth with a willingness to provoke Ofcom complainers into clutching their pearls.

The thong back gown is simply the latest step in that evolution, pushing the red carpet game to its logical extreme while still staying within the bounds of what broadcasters can actually show at tea time. Whether you love or hate the dress, it reinforces her image as someone who knows exactly how to keep her name, and her styling team, at the centre of conversation.

Will she tone it down or double down

Looking ahead, it is hard to imagine Amanda retreating into safer territory after a reaction like this. Red carpet outrage is essentially free marketing, delivering columns of coverage that even the most expensive publicist cannot guarantee.

If anything, the Fashion Awards appearance feels like a test case for how far she can push things while still being booked for early morning radio and prime time family viewing. Expect future gowns to keep flirting with the limits, just in slightly different body zones, now that the bum box has been very firmly ticked.

Why this story is trending so hard in the United Kingdom

Perfect storm of fashion, television and shared outrage hobbies

For British audiences, the Amanda Holden dress saga sits right at the intersection of favourite topics: celebrity fashion, daytime television commentary and mildly scandalous behaviour you can gossip about in the office kitchen. It offers all the drama of a serious scandal with none of the real world consequences, which is ideal for a country addicted to light outrage.

The fact that the photos involve a familiar face from long running shows makes it feel more personal, as if a distant friend has decided to moon the nation for a laugh. That sense of knowing her already makes people more invested, whether they are cheering her on or composing stern paragraphs about standards.

Escapism with a side of cultural self reflection

Underneath the jokes and memes, there is a quieter conversation about how ageing, motherhood and sexuality are policed in public life. Amanda's dress has become a lightning rod for questions about who gets to have fun, who is allowed to be ridiculous and how much skin is acceptable once you have offspring, a mortgage and a breakfast radio slot.

It is no wonder the images keep popping up on timelines and daytime rundowns, because they let viewers project their own feelings about these issues onto a single sequinned thong strap. For now at least, Amanda's bum is doing more cultural work than many earnest panel discussions, which is an achievement she will probably be very happy to own.

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