Amanda Holden has defended her decision to return to Britain's Got Talent just weeks after her childbirth hell, insisting work has stopped her heading down a "darker route".

The bubbly blonde came under fire from critics when she rushed back to her judging job on the hit ITV show three weeks after almost losing her life giving birth to her daughter Hollie.

Amanda was slammed by a number of female columnists, who accused her of putting her health at risk to ensure her place in the spotlight.

The star has now hit back at her detractors, revealing she deals with difficult times by battling on with life.

In an interview with The Sun, she says: "I always face life head on. I wanted to get back. It was important that I did something normal and show my six-year-old daughter Lexi that I was still the same old mum.

"She came home one day and I was still in my pyjamas. She said, 'I wish I could be in my pyjamas'. And then I thought, 'I'm never wearing my pyjamas all day again.'

"So I did my hair no matter how I was feeling and I came down in the morning. I had to put breakfast on the table when I was feeling like a zombie. But it made me stronger and I was determined to get back to work as soon as I physically could."

Amanda explains her hectic schedule on-stage for Shrek The Musical helped her cope after giving birth to a stillborn son last year.

She adds: "I face every disaster and crisis head on. I've never hidden away. Working is what I love and what I know. I've been doing it since I was nine. It's what makes me happy.

"Six weeks after losing our son I was rehearsing for Shrek. It gave me focus and fitness. Without that I would probably have gone down a much darker route.

"It's that attitude that has got me back to where I am now. It helped me get over what I've been through. Not just this but also the stillbirth and the miscarriage."

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