Strictly fans shocked by surprise dance-off result as Les Dennis is first celeb to be axed

STRICTLY fans were left shocked tonight as veteran entertainer Les Dennis was the first celebrity to be sent home.

The Family Fortunes star, 69, failed to charm viewers with his sailor-themed Samba last night.

The lacklustre routine to Rock the Boat by The Hues Corporation only picked up 15 points from the judges and was savaged by viewers at home.

Craig Revel Horwood didn't hold back, telling the star: "You've taken basic to a whole new level. It looked like you were limping with a broken ankle."

Joining Les in the bottom two in tonight's results show was BBC Asian Network DJ Nikita Kanda, 28.

She and pro partner Gorka Marquez only fared slightly better scoring a mediocre 18 points for their Charleston to Beyoncé's Single Ladies.

While Les was clearly never going to win the Glitterball, viewers felt is celebrity status would see him through the first few weeks at least.

One wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Wooooooah I am utterly surprised. I genuinely thought he’d be in for weeks."

Another posted: "I'm quite surprised because I thought the public would like him given we had dance acts like Les in the past such as Tony Adams and Ed Balls."

A third said: "Blimey. The public aren't keeping the clown in unfairly for once!"

The judges unanimously voted to save Nikita.

An emotional Les said afterwards: "I've had the best time. This lady [Nancy] has been amazing, a great teacher. She's really put me through my paces..."

He added: "I really appreciate and understand the judges point of view, absolutely.

"I hope I've entertained, that's what I came here for."

He finished by thanking hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman and the rest of the Strictly team.

Nancy called it a "short but sweet journey" and told Les: "I respect you so, so much."