Les Dennis called his stint on Strictly Come Dancing โthe hardest thing everโ as he waded into the bullying row on Wednesdayโs Good Morning Britain.
The 70-year-old comedian and his professional dance partner Nancy Xu became the first pair eliminated from the show in 2023 when they failed to survive the dance off.
On Wednesday morning, during an appearance on the ITV breakfast show, the entertainer was quizzed about his time on the BBC hit by host Richard Madeley.
He explained: โI was only there for two weeks and you rehearse with your partner separately. I was in a bubble between home and wherever I was on tour. I was in 42nd street at the time.
Les insisted that his โexperience was great,โ but admitted that the show is โthe hardest thing everโ and your professional partner โwants to push youโ.
Les Dennis admitted Strictly Come Dancing is โthe hardest thing everโ as he waded into the bullying row on Wednesdayโs Good Morning Britain
The 70-year-old comedian and his professional dance partner Nancy Xu became the first pair eliminated from the show in 2023 when they failed to survive the dance off
Talking to Richard and his co-host Trisha Goddard, the comedian added: โI used to joke to friends that I felt like I was in Black Swan.
โIt is tough, your professional partner wants to win as much as you do and they want to push you outside of your comfort zone.โ
Directed by Darren Aronofsky and co-starring Mila Kunis, Black Swan (2010) is a psychological thriller about a troubled ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) and her diabolical quest for perfection.
At the time of Lesโ departure from the show, it was reported that Les struggled to connect because the funnymanโs energy levels didnโt match that of Nancyโs.
A source told The Sun: โLes the entertainer may have charmed audiences with his style, but behind the scenes it was a vastly different story.
โLes was often moody and erratic because he found the training a very draining process. Heโs almost 70 so was knackered just two weeks in and this led to clashes with Nancy.
โHis mood didnโt match Nancyโs enthusiasm and positivity which created tension and discord in the studio.โ
The insider added that Les would often lose his cool at the slightest mistake while Nancy was patient and encouraging.
He added: โIt is tough, your professional partner wants to win as much as you do and they want to push you outside of your comfort zoneโ
Directed by Darren Aronofsky and co-starring Mila Kunis, Black Swan (2010) is a psychological thriller about a troubled ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) and her diabolical quest for perfection
Les insisted that his โexperience was great,โ but admitted that the show is โthe hardest thing everโ and your professional partner โwants to push youโ
Talking to Richard and his co-host Trisha Goddard , the comedian added: โI used to joke to friends that I felt like I was in Black Swanโ
At the time of Lesโ departure from the show, it was reported that Les struggled to connect because the funnymanโs energy levels didnโt match that of Nancyโs
The source further described them as โpolar oppositesโ and said they struggled to โgelโ which showed in their performance.
Lesโ most recent GMB appearance comes as Strictly Come Dancing remains locked in an explosive bullying probe.
The Strictly scandal erupted in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice of abuse after she unexpectedly quit the show just five weeks in.
Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, a has made a series of accusations about Giovanniโs teaching methods and has described his behaviour as โunnecessary, abusive, cruel and meanโ. He strongly denies all of the claims.
In one interview, Amanda compared the dance show to โthe trenchesโ telling Channel 4 News that BBC producers had been left โhorrifiedโ by clips that also allegedly exhibited โhumiliating behaviour of a sexual natureโ.
Then, in July, it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked from Strictly for โkickingโ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
A Strictly source said: โGrazianoโs abuse was ongoing, he kicked and hit her. There were multiple occasions where both physical and verbal attacks were made. It was more physical than verbal but all of it was dreadful.
AT the time, a source said: โLes the entertainer may have charmed audiences with his style, but behind the scenes it was a vastly different storyโ
The Strictly scandal erupted in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice (both pictured) of abuse after she unexpectedly quit the show
Then, in July, it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked from Strictly for โkickingโ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott
โThere were occasions where he did some terrible things, it really was awful. What he did makes Giovanni look like a pussy cat.โ
Graziano has since claimed he does not know the full particulars of what he is supposed to have done.
The BBC will not give further details due to the โconfidential nature of the circumstancesโ in which the information was provided and their โobligationsโ to โthird partiesโ.