Les Dennis rose to fame as the host of ITV's Family Fortunes, but his personal life often dominated headlines, particularly his high-profile marriage to Amanda Holden.
Wedding Bells and Separation
Les Dennis married Amanda Holden in 1993 after they met while performing in The Sound of Music in Bournemouth. Les was 40, and Amanda was 22 at the time. Their relationship began as a close friendship before turning romantic, leading to a lavish wedding in 1995. However, the marriage faced intense media scrutiny, and despite a brief reconciliation, they separated permanently in 2002, with their divorce finalized in 2003. Years later, Les reflected that "all the hurt has been healed." He later married Clare Nicholson in 2009, and they have two children together.
Health Woes
At age 69, Les revealed he lost about three stone after a health check flagged a risk of developing diabetes. The check followed a severe case of laryngitis in 2017, which prompted him to reassess his health. At the time, he was touring as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family stage production. He told The Sun: "I was relieved I got laryngitis because it gave me the biggest wake-up call. I had to miss the last 10 weeks of the show. It was like an alarm bell." After visiting the doctor, Les discovered he was pre-diabetic. He said: "Luckily, I caught it early enough. It has made me take responsibility for my own health."
Quitting Family Fortunes
Les fronted Family Fortunes for 15 years, from 1987 to 2002, but left when it was moved to a daytime slot. On the White Wine Question Time podcast, he explained: "I decided to leave because it had gone to a daytime slot and because of money. They offered an insulting 98 percent pay cut. It was time to go while it was still a great show." After turning down the offer, he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, hoping to revive his career. Despite the phone not "ringing much" after that, he landed roles in Coronation Street, Strictly Come Dancing, and various stage productions.
