Les Dennis knew marriage to Amanda Holden was over after plumber made remark
Les Dennis claimed that he knew his marriage to Amanda Holden wouldn't go the distance after a comment from a plumber.
They usually say not to listen to any outside noise when it comes to building a relationship, but the TV personality later admitted that he may have been better off paying attention to it.
Best known for hosting ITV's Family Fortunes from 1987 to 2002, 72-year-old Dennis is also widely known for his romance with Amanda Holden, 54, in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Speaking to Richard Herring in 2019, the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant said that he 'should have known' that their marriage wasn't going to work out in the long-term.
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Dennis and Holden tied the knot in 1995 after meeting during a stage show production of The Sound of Music, with the media taking an interest in their relationship due to their 18-year age gap.
The Britain's Got Talent judge was just 22 when she settled down with Dennis, as both agreed years later that they were sceptical of married life going into it.
Reflecting on the situation, Dennis said that the first domino fell when a plumber made a passing comment when he came over to their Highgate home to fix their washing machine.
As one of Britain's most spoken about couples in the tabloids at the time, it was a surprise that he didn't recognise them, as Dennis recalled that everyone was 'waiting' for their marriage to burst into flames, joking that 'nobody told [him]' that it would come so soon.
He told Herring: "I remember one day in our house in Highgate, it was Grand National Day, and the plumber was there to fix the washing machine.
"And Amanda came running and said, ‘We need to put a bet on’, so [I gave her] ten quid and she went, ‘Oh we need to put more than that on’. So I went, ‘Twenty?’
"And the plumber went, ‘Kids, eh?’ Maybe I should have known then."
The incident was even remembered by Holden, who commented on a clip of Dennis retelling the story, writing: "I remember this," with three laughing emojis.
Years later, the public learned that Holden had been having an affair with Line of Duty star Neil Morrissey, ultimately resulting in her separating from Dennis in 2002, before officially divorcing the year after.
The radio host spoke about her public image being tarnished by the incident, saying it was 'incredibly hard to deal with' because she 'can't bear not to be liked'.
"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," Holden said.
She would even admit that she wanted children, just not with Dennis, adding: "That's a horribly brutal thing to say, but when you do, you know you have to move on."
Topics: Amanda Holden, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships
Joshua Nair