Strictly Come Dancing star Les Dennis is reported to have been ‘moody and erratic’ before he was booted from the show.
The Family Fortunes star, 69, was one of the famous faces cast in the latest season of the BBC dancing series until becoming the first one sent home during last week’s elimination.
After finding himself in the dreaded dance-off opposite radio presenter Nikita Kanda and her partner Gorka Márquez, Les and his professional dance partner Nancy Xu were eliminated by the judges.
While he said on the show his partner had put him through his paces on the dancefloor, Les described his time on the show as ‘the best’, before crediting Nancy for being ‘amazing’ and a ‘great teacher’.
However it’s now been claimed the two were clashing while the cameras weren’t rolling.
Show insiders have claimed the dance duo struggled to ‘gel’ backstage because Les’ energy levels didn’t match Nancy’s and the TV star was ‘going through the motions’.
‘Les the entertainer may have charmed audiences with his style, but behind the scenes it was a vastly different story,’ they said.
‘Les was often moody and erratic because he found the training a very draining process.
‘He’s almost 70 so was knackered just two weeks in and this led to clashes with Nancy,’ they added when speaking to The Sun.
They continued: ‘They never really fell out, they were always respectful to each other, but it felt like Les was just going through the motions.
‘His mood didn’t match Nancy’s enthusiasm and positivity which created tension and discord in the studio.’
The source said Les would become ‘frustrated at the slightest misstep and would lose his cool’, while Nancy was ‘very patient and encouraging which only rankled Les even more’.
‘They were just polar opposites,’ they said.
It was said that Les’ ‘temperament’ had ‘made it impossible for them to gel and it showed on the night’.
While Nancy was said to be disappointed not to progress to next week, her partner was apparently glad it was all over.
When he was announced as part of the line- up, Les said he was ‘excited but terrified’.
However, he wanted to prove that ‘people of any age can do anything’.
In the dance-off Les and Nancy performed a Samba to Rock The Boat by Hues Corporation up against Nikita and Gorka dancing a Charleston to Beyoncé’s Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
Metro.co.uk has contacted BBC and representatives for Les Dennis for comment.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6:20pm on BBC One.
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