Les Dennis may no longer be competing for the Glitterball Trophy on Strictly Come Dancing, but he is not going down without a fight.
After landing in the dance-off against radio broadcaster Nikita Kanda and Gorka Márquez on Sunday night, the actor and presenter became the first celebrity to be ousted from the 2023 series.
The judges unanimously opted to rescue Nikita and Gorka, who will appear in Saturday’s much-anticipated Movie Week.
While Les didn’t win good marks from the judges, he won over fans with the amount of effort he put into his routines, performing a Tango in week one and a Samba in week two.
One Strictly fan revealed their belief in a now-deleted post on X (previously Twitter) that the comedian meant to exit the competition on Sunday October 1, since he’s scheduled to appear in 42nd Street in Southhampton on Tuesday.
Les, on the other hand, was eager to put an end to the conjecture, noting that if he had stayed on Strictly, he would have been busy practising throughout the day.
‘I was going to be training in the day and not appearing in the show on Friday and Saturday. Please check your facts before you write,’ he stated in response.
Several fans and friends expressed their support for Les in the comments section underneath his letter, with comedian Janey Godley writing: ‘Don’t let them hurt you, you are well loved.’
One fan wrote: ‘You tell em Les. I thought you brought so much fun to the dance floor and it will be missed.’
Another stated: ‘Wow. Hasn’t he got anything better to do? Why not take up a hobby? Like…ballroom dancing???!! 😂
‘Sorry you’re out Les. You’re a true gentleman though. All the best for your new adventure xx.’
Upon his exit, Les described Nancy as ‘amazing’ and a ‘great teacher’, saying that she ‘really put me through my paces’.
‘I hope I’ve entertained, that’s what I came here for. Strictly is the best and the people who put this on, you’re just all amazing!’ he added.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
