Strictly star Les Dennis' own 'affair' ended Amanda Holden marriage - not hers
They were the showbiz couple that everyone was talking about in the early noughties, but Strictly Come Dancing star Les Dennis and Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden weren't meant to be together. The celebrity pair married in 1995, when Amanda was just 22 and he was 40, and split in 2002, following Amanda's affair with actor Neil Morrissey while starring in BBC's Happy Birthday Shakespeare.
Amanda later spoke out about her relationship in the spotlight and said: "I found the fall from grace incredibly hard to deal with. I can't bear not to be liked. Then I had an affair and overnight turned into this awful person. There are no hard feelings with Les. I wish him the best, but we've both moved on. I don't believe women have affairs for no reason. Women don't seek sex - we seek love and affirmation."
Amanda cheated on Les with a co-star whilst starring in BBC's Happy Birthday Shakespeare (Getty Images)
Their divorce papers revealed Les admitted to adultery in 2003 after their split (PA)When the news of Amanda's affair broke out in 2002, it seemed their marriage was over - but before the divorce was finalised, Les also admitted to adultery. Their divorce documents that were later made public revealed Les had started a relationship with another woman whilst still wed to Amanda, one year after her fling with Neil. Les' affair partner was not named in the papers.
In the document, Amanda stated: "The respondent informed me of his adultery in January 2003. The adultery is continuing." When asked if she found it "intolerable" to live with her husband, she answered 'yes', and said that she had not lived in the same house as Les since January 2003. When asked about the adultery, Les admitted 'yes'.
The woman is question is believed to have been PR executive Leoni Cotgrove, who he is said to have started dating following his split from Amanda. According to reports at the time, Les agreed to let Amanda file for divorce on the grounds of adultery to fast-track the process.
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While the Family Fortunes host has since said he has forgiven Amanda, he can still pinpoint the exact moment he knew their relationship was no more. In his memoir Must The Show Go On?, the star attributes his exit from Celebrity Big Brother 2002 as the final nail in the coffin for their marriage.
At the very end of his time on the show, presenter Davina McCall said Amanda had taped a message for him. "My heart filled with dread - she couldn't even be bothered to do it live," Les wrote. "Suddenly she was on screen, not alone but with two of her Cutting It co-stars. That was my defining moment. As viewers watched me watch her jabber on about my amazing honesty, the words 'I love you and I'm proud of you' never crossing her lips, I came to the final decision that this charade of a marriage was over."
Amanda was Les' second wife, following his relationship with Lynne Webster, with whom he married in 1974. The couple share a son together. Les has been married to his third wife, Claire Nicholson, since 2009 and together they share two children, daughter Eleanor and son Thomas.
Yesterday, Les became the first contestant to leave the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing. Speaking about his time on the show, he said: "I've had the best time, this lady has been amazing, a great teacher, she's really put me through my paces. (To professional dance partner Nancy Xu) I did as well as I could for you, I hope!" He will appear on Strictly: It Takes Two tonight.
Strictly: It Takes Two airs on BBC Two at 6:30pm tonight
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