Amanda Holden’s ex-husband Les Dennis broke down in tears and issued a heartbreaking plea when he went away for work. Former Blind Date star Amanda and comedian Les met in 1993 while they were both starring in a production of the Sound of Music.
Amanda says she had “never known fame” when the pair got together. But admits “everyone knew” Family Fortunes host Les.
Heart FM presenter Amanda, who turned 54 on Sunday, says Les was initially concerned about the pair’s 17-year age gap. In 1994 however the couple decided to move in together to Les’s north London home.
Despite her initial concerns that it was “too soon,” Amanda says the pair “spent every minute” together after moving in. However, as the months went on Les had to leave for Scotland, where he was set to perform in pantomime.
Amanda says the moment was like a “huge wrench” and that she missed him when he went away. In her 2013 autobiography No Holding Back, the star recalls the moment Les broke down before he left for Edinburgh.
She wrote: “I saw Les off at King’s Cross station on his train to Scotland , where he was booked to do panto in Edinburgh, and he wept (his emotions were always quite close to the surface!) and said, ‘Please never leave me. I love you. This is it for me. Whatever happens with us, we’ll face it and we’ll deal with it.”
Amanda was 22 when she tied the knot with 40-year-old Les Dennis in June 1995. It was considered to be the showbiz wedding of the year.
But their relationship ended after Amanda’s affair with Neil Morrissey hit the headlines. Amanda and Les filed for divorce in 2003, the comedian let Amanda claim his adultery on the papers to speed up the process, claiming his ‘affair’ with an unnamed woman made it ‘intolerable’ to live with him.
The pair eventually found new relationships, with Amanda starting to date music industry boss Chris Hughes in 2003 after meeting in Las Vegas. Amanda and Chris married at the Grade II-listed Babington House in Somerset.
The pair now share daughters Hollie and Lexi together. Les meanwhile married third wife Claire Nicholson in 2009, sharing three children together.
Amanda later spoke out about her affair 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.”