Family Fortunes host Les Dennis' knew his seven-year marriage to actress and Britain's Got Talent star Amanda Holden was dead in the water as soon as he left the Celebrity Big Brother house
There is one striking moment when Les Dennis knew his marriage to Amanda Holden was over. The 69-year-old comedian and actor married the Britain’s Got Talent judge in 1995 - when Amanda was just 22 and he was 40. But their relationship wasn’t to last following Amanda’s affair with Men Behaving Badly actor Neil Morrissey and the pair split shortly after, in 2002.
Writing in his book, Les explained that his stint on CBB came after a dry spell of projects and needed something to raise his profile - admitted in part, he couldn’t help but “feel competitive” towards Amanda and needed to reinvent himself. By the time CBB started, Les said their “marriage had limped on” for the two and a half years since the affair.
“In that room, filled with family and friends, Amanda did her best to put on a brave face,” he wrote. “Her attempts at making light of the situation failed to put me at my ease. ‘Don’t worry darling,’ she announced to the room. ‘I’ll definitely have your voting number on redial to keep you in. I’ll enjoy a bit of freedom.’”
When Les’s agent tried to diffuse the awkwardness suggesting that there was a strong rumour Endemol were putting an extra secret housemate in at the last minute, Les wrote that Amanda joked ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if it was Neil. You two in the house. That would be fascinating.’