Amanda Holden and Les Dennis married in 1995 but divorced in 2003 after her affair with Neil Morrissey, with the Britain’s Got Talent judge admitting she ‘hated’ herself for lying to him
Reflecting on the early days of their romance, Amanda Holden has revealed that when she first encountered ex-husband Les Dennis, she believed he needed “mothering.” In her memoir No Holding Back, the Britain’s Got Talent star detailed how different they initially seemed.
She recalled: “At first he thought I was loud, overconfident and a bit brash, which was probably true,” before admitting: “I thought he was a bit of a miserable sod.”
Despite this, Amanda felt drawn to protect the comedian, who was approximately 16 years older than her. She explained: “He seemed sad, quiet and troubled and I instinctively wanted to help.” The pair first met behind the scenes at Bournemouth’s Pavilion Theatre while performing in The Sound of Music.
Through socialising with other cast members, including trips to bowling alleys during their time off, Amanda and the Garston-born Les began chatting more regularly. Les shared details of his failed first marriage to Lynne – whom he’d wed just three years after Amanda was born – and spoke of his sadness about rarely seeing his son Philip, according to the Mirror.
Amanda acknowledged that their relationship started as purely friendship. She noted: “I don’t think I consciously fancied him at this stage.” Yet by 1995, approximately two years after first meeting, they exchanged vows and began their life as husband and wife.
The marriage ultimately crumbled five years later when news emerged of Amanda’s relationship with Neil Morrissey, her co-star from Happy Birthday Shakespeare.
In 2002, Les chose to confront public fascination with their split head-on by appearing in the second series of Celebrity Big Brother, reports the Liverpool Echo.
He would later acknowledge this decision as “not one of his wisest moves.” After the affair became public knowledge, Amanda spoke candidly to the Daily Mail, describing the intense press attention during her marriage breakdown as the “worst time of her life.”
She reflected: “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.”
The mother-of-two confessed she “hated” herself for being dishonest with Les, yet despite their efforts, the relationship proved beyond repair and they formally divorced in 2003.
Les Dennis is scheduled to appear on Sunday Brunch on Channel 4 on Sunday, March 29, while Amanda Holden will return to her judging role on Britain’s Got Talent on ITV on Saturday, March 28.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
