Before taking to the dance floor for Strictly 2023, comedian, Family Fortunes presenter and actor Les Dennis tied the knot a grand total of three times and also became a father-of-three.
Although the 69-year-old star is happily married now, to life coach Claire Nicholson, he went through his fair share of heartbreak, enduring two divorces.
Les’ initial split was from first wife Lynne Webster in 1990, followed by his devastating high-profile separation from his second wife, Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, in 2003.
Earlier on in his showbiz career, the TV personality found love and married Lynne in 1974, who became the mother of Les’ first child, a son named Philip, now 43.
However, their union wasn’t to last, as the former couple split after 16 years together, with Les admitting he was too focused on his career than his marriage at the time.
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Reflecting on what led to his first divorce during an appearance on the Full Disclosure with James O’Brien podcast, Les admitted his personal life was “put on the back-burner” as he enjoyed the heights of his solo comedy career, following his partnership with the late Dustin Gee (born Gerald Harrison).
Les shared: “My marriage to Lynne, my first wife, I put all that on the back-burner and I went, ‘I’ve got to pursue my solo career,’ so I was bottling a lot of things up.”
The Strictly Come Dancing star then moved on with fellow UK star Amanda, whom he married in 1995 when she was just 23, and he was 40-years-old.
The ill-fated marriage between the actors ended seven years later, after Amanda had an affair, leaving Les heartbroken.
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Their relationship ended in 2000, when Amanda got close to her Happy Birthday Shakespeare co-star Neil Morrissey, who apologised for their affair in 2014.
Heart FM presenter Amanda, who later remarried with second husband Chris Hughes, admitted the time following her affair was a “very dark time”.
Speaking about the difficult situation to the Mail, Amanda explained: “I brought it on myself, I appreciate that, but nothing will ever be as bad again.
“It was a very dark time. It got to the point where I felt I could hardly breathe.”
After struggling through the end of his second marriage, Les walked down the aisle for the third time when he wed his current wife Claire in 2009.
The happy couple went on to welcome two children, Eleanor Grace and Thomas Christopher.
This year, Les brought Claire even more joy when he informed her he had landed a spot in the Strictly 2023 lineup.
In an interview with Express.co.uk and other publications, the Extras star spilled on how his family had reacted to the news.
Les divulged: “My wife cried, in a good way!
“She was really thrilled, because we were waiting for a while to find out, and then, suddenly, we got the call.”
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