Les Dennis speaks out on co-star’s tragic death hours after Strictly elimination

Les Dennis and Nancy Xu Tango perform a tango

It was a tough day for Family Fortunes star Les Dennis, when he learnt that Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels actor Jake Abraham had died of cancer aged just 56.

The revelation took place the same day as the announcement that Les was the first celebrity contestant to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.

The 69-year-old retweeted a post from another account, which had revealed: “Liverpool legend #JakeAbraham has sadly passed away to f*****g cancer.

“I saw Jake around Liverpool over the years what a lovely person he was. RIP Jake.”

Les then chimed in: “Did a play at the @RoyalCourtLiv with Jake. Loved him, both as an actor and a man. Will miss you Jake. Thanks for the laughs. RIP.”

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He was referring to The Miracle of Great Homer Street, a comedy in which the pair both played roles back in 2018.

The previous year, Les had been on the judging panel when the story, by Gerry Linford, was voted a runner-up in the Hope Playwriting Prize – and it was then decided the story should be taken from the page to the stage.

Les’ tragic Liverpudlian co-star admitted in a heartbreaking post before his death that his health had been worrisome for a while, but that he’d “left it too late” to get medical help.

The star was eventually diagnosed with prostate cancer, which sadly spread to his spine, hips and bladder.

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He told the Liverpool Echo that he’d finally been prompted to see a doctor after discovering blood in his urine – but by that point, he was told the cancer had been growing for four years.

As well as grieving for his pal, Les has also discovered that he is the first celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing, after his performances with Nancy Xu failed to impress.

The pair, along with Nikita Kanda and her pro partner Gorka Marquez, faced each other in the dance-off.

Ultimately, Les and Nancy’s samba to ‘Rock The Boat’ by Hues Corporation was considered no match for Nikita and Gorka’s Charleston to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ – and Les was sent packing.

Motsi Mabuse suggested that his rivals were “extremely better” on the night – and Anton du Beke agreed.

He stated: “I thought it was a competition of two couples on performance alone and who could really nail their performance. I think the couple who did the best job were Nikita and Gorka.”

Craig Revel-Horwood chimed in that the pair had shown more improvement compared to the previous week than Les and Nancy.

With three votes to save the other couple, Shirley Ballas didn’t need to give her verdict at all – but she admitted afterwards that she would have made the same decision, spelling an abrupt one to Les’ Strictly hopes.

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