Les Dennis has revealed his health fears ahead of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing airing on BBC One this weekend.

The 70-year-old Family Fortune star has been chosen to compete alongside 14 other celebrities for the glitterball trophy.

He also revealed how his wife cried after learning that he had been added to this year's roster, saying:  “I was in the mix for Strictly, and then I heard from my agent I’d got it, and I called my wife and she cried – but in a good way. She didn’t cry going, ‘Don’t do it!'."

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Les Denis wonders if his knee will hold up for Strictly Come Dancing

He told the Mirror that the last few years have been full of challenges, explaining: "The last few years, I’ve had challenges just come out of nowhere, like I did my first opera two years ago at the RSC, with no training. So this is such a massive opportunity as I approach 70. I thought yeah, why not?”

The presenter admitted that "it's a big challenge" but is hopeful about his stint on the BBC show, seeing it as another exciting thing to tick off his list.

Speaking about his health woes, Les Dennis, revealed how he struggled to get out of bed after his first Strictly Come Dancing training session but added that his new knee is far better than his old, painful, arthritic one, allowing him to do more on stage.

However, he did have some concerns about how well it would hold up with non-stop dancing.

The broadcaster had surgery two years ago and was put under local anaesthetic, seeing him boast that he stayed awake for the whole operation.

He said:  “I thought, 'I’ll listen to what’s going on’. I could hear ‘bang, bang, bang’ – I thought somebody had put shelves up. Ten weeks later, I was rehearsing Hairspray.”

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday, September 16, 2023.