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Amanda Holden was "fun and relaxed" and "looked fantastic" when she stripped off to pose for a nude portrait as a gift for her hubby, says the artist who painted her. The 52-year-old Britain's Got Talent judge bared all for Francesca Currie as part of a new Sky TV show. Behind-the-scenes photos show the TV star wearing a lacy white dressing gown after posing topless for the talented artist at a London studio. Francesca, who appeared on Sky's Portrait Artist of the Year, said Amanda was "a natural" and remained "comfortable and calm" during the process. Amanda allowed the artist to make sketches and take photos after asking the TV crew to leave - before Francesca spent six weeks working on the portrait. And the Heart radio DJ was said to be so impressed with the end result that she gifted the racy picture as a present to husband Chris Hughes. However Amanda has banned the portrait from ever being made public saying it would be" more about my boobs being on show" than a "beautiful piece of art". Francesca, 34, of Worcester, said: "Amanda was really fun and delightful to work with. "She was comfortable and relaxed. The key for any portrait commission is to make sure the client is at ease. "She's just a great, natural model actually, she looked fantastic. The way the light hit, I couldn’t have done it better. “To me it was another painting. I had already done a few nude paintings around that time, it was just another nude that month. "Once she realised that she was very calm. She asked the crew to leave. She wanted it to be topless. "I took the photos and sketches, and she trusted me to do it at home. She said she wanted to give it to her husband as a Christmas present. "I think the way I've been brought up is to see people as people. I tend to not look at their celebrity or their job and just see the person sat in front of me." Amanda posed for the steamy portrait during filming for Episode 2 of Sex: A Bonkers History, which delves into historical sex habits. She had been recreating a 17th century painting of Charles II lover Nell Gwyn, an actress who is one of history's most famous mistresses. Francesca added: “A few years ago I was on Sky Arts and I think it was because of that. "I got a call out of the blue, they gave me a call and said they were doing this TV show. “They said they were wanting to paint Amanda as Charles II mistress. "I went to the London for the day. We went to a studio setting and met Amanda and the team. “I know I was painting her as Nell Gwyn. We set it up and had her lying down. On TV she had a cloth across her body. “I thought I was making a painting for the show. But actually, it was for the set up and afterwards she asked the TV crew to go so I could paint her semi-nude. "You do get unusual requests in this job - but I'm just at my most happiest when I'm painting.” Francesca reached acclaim on Portrait Artist of the Year where she wowed judges and Sir Trevor McDonald with a lifelike portrait of the TV star. Francesca, who is currently showing her work in two galleries', added: “I think I was born to do it. "I'm quite dyslexic and struggled a lot in school. Painting made sense. I'm at ease and at home when I paint." Discussing the portrait, Amanda previously said: "My husband Chris now has the painting, but no one else will ever see it, including the television audience. “But it felt liberating to pose naked. Certain areas were covered up, but I suppose it is like doing their equivalent of Playboy or something like that, then keeping it private for the person you love most. “It was a female artist, and we had a closed set, so it just felt absolutely fine. “And it was only my boobs that were out. I felt looked after and completely comfortable. “I didn’t want to show the finished painting to the television audience only because of the reaction it would get. “It would just go everywhere, and it just wouldn’t be seen for the beautiful piece of art — it would simply be about my boobs being on show. “So it was just for Chris. He loved it."
