Strictly feud revealed as Les Dennis ‘clashes with pro-dancer backstage’ before shock axing

STRICTLY star Les Dennis clashed with dance partner Nancy Xu behind the scenes leading to their poor performance on the show, sources have told The Sun.

Funnyman Les, 69, became the first celebrity to be voted off the hit series on Sunday night when he and professional dancer Nancy failed to impress the judges in the dance-off.

Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas had likened Les’ less than stellar dancing to a “wardrobe”.

And now 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”.

An insider told The Sun: “Les the entertainer may have charmed audiences with his style, but behind the scenes it was a vastly different story.

“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 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.

"Les became 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.

"Nancy is a true artist, a dedicated perfectionist who genuinely cared about their performance.

"But Les' temperament made it impossible for them to gel and it showed on the night.

"While Nancy was very disappointed not to progress to next week, Les was glad it was all over."

Les' rep did not return a request for comment. The BBC had no comment.

Before starting the show, former Family Fortunes presenter Les admitted to having no previous dance experience other than some “comedy dancing” while treading the boards in the West End.

The weekend marked the second live show of the series and the first time a celebrity was voted off.

Les and Nancy were bottom of the leaderboard after two performances, and as Nancy paid tribute to her dance partner on Sunday evening, she mentioned the pair facing "a lot of challenges".

The dancer said: "It's been a journey. This is such a short but a sweet journey. A lot of challenges we all know, but to see you (to Les) every day improve yourself. I respect you so, so much.”

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).