The line-up for 2023’s Strictly Come Dancing has been announced, with Les Dennis being named as the final contestant to hit the dancefloor.

The TV presenter, 69, confirmed rumours that he would be appearing on the celebrity dance show on Good Morning Britain, where he told hosts Ben Shephard and Ranvir Singh how “thrilled” he was to be putting on his dancing shoes.

"I'm thrilled to be doing this iconic wonderful show as I approach my 70th birthday! In my career, I’ve always gone for challenges outside my comfort zone and this is the ultimate one! Can’t wait," he said on the show.

Les has been married to wife Claire Nicholson in 2005, with the couple sharing two children together.

However, fans might remember his previous marriage to Amanda Holden, 52, which ended in heartbreak after her affair with actor Neil Morrissey came to light in 2000.

Les and Amanda made the headlines when they married in 1995, when he was 40 and Amanda was 23, with the wedding raising a few eyebrows due to the couple’s 17 year age gap.

The former couple are thought to have met while both starring in The Sound Of Music on stage in Bournemouth in 1993, marrying a couple of years later after a whirlwind romance.

However, seven years later their marriage faced trouble when Amanda’s affair with Line of Duty actor Neil was revealed.

The couple tried to patch things up but eventually called time on their marriage, splitting for good in 2002.

Amanda later opened up on how she felt she had suffered a “fall from grace”, but still wished her ex Les “all the best”.

Speaking about her marriage to Les seven years after her affair, Amanda admitted : “I don’t believe women have affairs for no reason. Women don’t seek sex – we seek love and affirmation. If a woman has an affair, there is normally a problem in their marriage.

“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.”

Amanda later found love with record producer Chris Hughes, who she met in Los Angeles in 2003.

The couple married in 2008 and now share two daughters together: Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11.

Despite their difficult break-up, Les has spoken out about his relationship with Amanda and shared how he’s happy for his ex-wife, despite the way their relationship ended.

Back in June, Les spoke about how he’s “healed” following their split.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, he said: "Amanda was in the papers recently, saying some nice things about me. That was very kind of her. Maybe with time she has been able to look back and see things differently.

"We're not in touch but I am happy that she's happy. I can watch Britain's Got Talent without getting angry. To be honest it's like watching a different person, someone I've never met.

"All the hurt that has happened has been healed," he concluded.

Les will appear on this year’s Strictly alongside a star-studded cast which includes Angela Rippon, Layton Williams, Nigel Harman and Zara McDermott.

A cast of 15 celebrities for the latest series of the BBC One contest also includes Angela Scanlon, Adam Thomas, Ellie Leach and Bobby Brazier.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Eddie Kadi, Annabel Croft, Jody Cundy, Amanda Abbington and Nikita Kanda have also been announced for this year's line-up.

Source: Read Full Article