Amanda Holden was once in a major planning row with Sainsbury's after she and other Bishop's Waltham resident opposed the supermarket giant's plans to open a store in the Hampshire market town. In 2011, Britain's Got Talent judge publicly joined the Bishop's Waltham Action Group in protest of the development, fearing that it would damage the high street shops and threaten independent retailers. At the time, the 55-year-old spoke up for the town where she grew up and said: "We have nice little village shops here and it is these people’s businesses that will suffer if this supermarket is allowed to be built."

Less than five months later, Amanda's morals were being questioned after it was revealed that she had accepted a lucrative deal to endorse a Tesco store being built in the same town. In addition to being branded "hypocritical," one local said: "I am very disappointed in Amanda because it is double standards, either she realises what supermarkets are doing to the country, or she doesn’t."

The Daily Echo reported that, before signing the agreement, Amanda was among those who signed the 4,500-strong petition and sent 2,000 letters of objection to the development on the historic Abbey Mill site to Winchester City Council.

Despite this, the mum-of-two admitted she was "surprised" and "saddened" by the criticism of her Tesco deal, which saw her star in their Christmas deals adverts, prompting disappointment from locals.

Their efforts went in vain as the council approved plans for the Sainsbury's to be built. According to the publication, Bishop’s Waltham Action group chairman Tony Kippenberger said the inquiry's guidelines were so tight that many of their concerns were not admissible.

As he stated: "We’re not aware of anything else that would stop them. There’s a sense of resignation that it will now go ahead. Our attention turns to doing everything we can to sustain the high street."

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Former chairman Henry Fryer shared: "My view is people in the village recognise that Sainsbury’s will now build a supermarket there and we will go along with that because the time for protest is past.

"Those who formed the group were concerned that Sainsbury’s coming would have a negative impact on independent shops. We must work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen and support the individual retailers.

He added that he was not aware of any scope to make further objections or appeals and said: "We have been drinking in the last chance saloon and we’re now going to head off to another bar."