Neil Morrissey has expressed his regret over a five-week affair with Amanda Holden, which led to her and Family Fortune’s star Les Dennis ending their marriage.
The actor, 61, began an affair with the BGT judge, 52, in 2000, with Amanda later insisting it was ‘just about sex’.
During a performance at the Restless Natives podcast with Line of Duty’s Martin Compston, Neil gave listeners life advice, saying: ‘Don’t p*** into the wind’.
Before cheekily adding: “A gentleman’s socks should always match his shoes. Don’t fuck with a game show host’s wife.”
Neil previously apologized for the affair during a 2014 appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.
Sexy stuff: Neil Morrissey, 61, has revealed his regret over a five-week affair with Amanda Holden, 52, which led to her and then husband Les Dennis ending their marriage (Neil and Amanda seen in 2003)
Sad: The actor, 61, began an affair with the BGT judge, 52, behind the Family Fortunes host and Amanda in 2000, with Amanda later insisting it was ‘just about sex’ (Les pictured last week)
He said: ‘I feel sorry for the way the situation was handled and I feel sorry for how emotional Les seemed to become. It was very difficult for him and I’m sorry for that.’
His comment came after Morgan asked him if he had ever apologized to Les, to which he replied: ‘No, I haven’t. I’m not sure what there are excuses for. I don’t know what the whole situation was like, to be honest with everyone.’
Meanwhile, Amanda’s ‘brutal’ confession about why she ended her relationship with ex-husband Les recently resurfaced.
In 1993, Amanda – then 22 – fell in love with the TV presenter, then 40, when they both starred in a production of The Sound Of Music.
In resurfaced quotes from Amanda at the time of the split, she said she was “very broody” and that she could have several children in the coming years.
The presenter explained: ‘I really want children but I didn’t want to have them with Les.
“That’s a terribly cruel thing to say, but when you do, you know you have to move on.”
She further admitted that it was she who ultimately suggested divorce to Dennis and later spoke about her affair in the spotlight. She said: ‘I found the fall from grace incredibly difficult to deal with. I can’t bear not being liked.
Sharing advice: During an appearance on the Restless Natives podcast with Line of Duty’s Martin Compston, Neil gave listeners life advice, saying: ‘Don’t p**k into the wind’
Vows: Before he cheekily adds, “A gentleman’s socks should always match his shoes.” Don’t fuck a game show host’s wife’ (Les and Amanda’s wedding day in 1995)
Host: Les presented Family Fortunes from 1987 to 2002 (pictured in 2000)
‘Then I had an affair and overnight I turned into a terrible person. There are no hard feelings with Les. I wish him the best, but we have both moved on. I don’t believe women have affairs for no reason. Women don’t look for sex – we look for love and affirmation.’
Les, 69, recently made a surprising confession about his former love following their troubled past.
Speak with The Sunday times he said he was over what happened and that he was happy for her in her new life.
He said: ‘Amanda was in the paper recently and said nice things about me. That was very kind of her. Perhaps over time she has been able to look back and see things differently.
Honest: Meanwhile, Amanda’s ‘cheeky’ confession about why she ended her relationship with ex-husband Les recently resurfaced
Couple: In an interview she explained: ‘I really want children, but I didn’t want to have them with Les’
‘We don’t have contact, but I’m glad she’s happy. I can watch Britain’s Got Talent without getting angry. Honestly, it’s like I’m looking at another person, someone I’ve never met. All the pain that happened has been healed.”
Dennis – who is now married to his third wife Claire Nicholson – even pondered the prospect of Amanda playing herself in the film of his life.
During the White Wine Question Time podcast, Dennis opened up about the idea of a hypothetical biopic by saying, “I guess Amanda should be there.
“It’s a huge chapter in my life, and I have no idea who to play that role.”
Speaking about the break-up afterwards, Ms Holden said: ‘It was my own doing, I appreciate that, but nothing will ever be this bad again. It was a very dark time. It got to the point where I felt like I could barely breathe.”
His love: Les has been married to Claire Nicholson since 2009 after meeting in 2005. They have daughter Grace, 15, and son Thomas, 12 (the couple married in 2019)
Happy couple: Amanda married her husband, music producer Chris Hughes, in 2008 (pictured together in 2014)
She later said, “In some ways I’ve always admired him for the way he doesn’t try to hide his real emotions. He’s honest about how he feels…
‘My problem is that I’m a people pleaser. I may feel down, but I’ll always put on a happy face for the rest of the world… And I’m ruled by my heart, not my head. I always have been and that gets me into trouble. I’m not an enigma. All my life I wished I could be mysterious.
‘But I’m not. I don’t know what it is about me, but people have always noticed the slightest comment or something insignificant I’ve done, and suddenly I’m in the papers again.’