Les Dennis shares ‘insulting’ reason he quit Family Fortunes after 15 years
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TV star Les Dennis candidly opened up on the reason he decided to leave his presenting role on Family Fortunes.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on her podcast, White Wine Question Time, the 69-year-old highlighted he decided to quit at around the same time he went into the Big Brother house.
Although he didn’t get paid for starring in the Channel 4 reality show, he confessed to hoping it helped boost his publicity knowing he wouldn’t be returning to Family Fortunes.
He said: “I’d just come out of the Big Brother house and the phone wasn’t, you know (ringing).
“I went in thinking that I was going to get a reboot, everybody says they’re going to the Big Brother House or a show like that for charity or whatever.
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“Certainly at that time there was no fee when we were doing those, there was no fee. You say, ‘Oh, I’m going in for charity’.
“But I was going in to try and kick start again because Family Fortunes had ended.”
Despite being a household name for 15 years on the show, Les went into detail on why he made his decision to quit.
He added: “I’d decided to leave it because it had gone to a daytime slot. I left it because of money, to be honest. They offered an insulting 98 percent pay cut.”
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Despite there being a reboot of the game show four years after Les left, he didn’t return to his former role as Vernon Kay took over to host All Star Family Fortunes.
Before rising to fame in Family Fortunes, Les featured in his own BBC comedy sketch called The Laughter Show alongside his great friend and comedy partner Dustin Gee.
Sadly, Dustin died at the age of 43 in 1986 of a heart attack as Les confessed his friend knew he was on “borrowed time” due to a condition he had called cardiomyopathy.
Speaking about Dustin’s death on the podcast, he said: “I had to go ‘Okay well that rug’s been pulled from under me, I’ve lost my best friend’.
“He was my best friend at that time, absolutely, and my comedy partner. Then, I went on stage the next day and had to prove to audiences that I could do it on my own.
“That’s why when I said that he left me with a legacy, he really did.
“He left me with that chance and that opportunity to show that I could do it, and then Family Fortunes came along and that carried on for 16 years.”
Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time is available to listen to on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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