Strictly's Les Dennis denies he's "a horse wearing a human costume"
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Strictly Come Dancing star Les Dennis has hilariously shut down a bizarre theory that he is "a horse wearing a human costume".
The presenter and actor, who was recently announced as part of the 2023 line-up of the BBC One dancing show, has been subjected to social media posts questioning his species status. Yep, really.
If that wasn't strange enough, his Wikipedia page has been repeatedly edited to add claims such as him being "a purebred horse pretending to be an English television presenter" or that he is "often associated with being a secret horse".
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As a result, the entry has been locked until August 30 over "vandalism", and has been restored to its (horse-less) normal form.
Addressing the rumours head-on, Dennis appears to have taken them in his stride, writing on X (formerly Twitter): "For some obscure reason there are a lot of people on here asking if I'm a horse. Nay to that."
The strange theory has its origins through a comedian called Adam Rowe, who previously put forward the idea during a set at the Manchester Comedy Store.
For some obscure reason there are a lot of people on here asking if I’m a horse. Nay to that.
— Les Dennis (@LesDennis) August 16, 2023
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"We came up with a theory that doesn't make any sense that Les Dennis is actually a horse wearing a human costume," he later explained on podcast Have A Word.
"So then, with absolutely no context whatsoever, we started tweeting Les Dennis, saying 'Hey Les, we're fully aware that you're a horse by the way, and you need to come clean'.
"He hasn't got enough followers to not see it. I found it so funny that I thought this might work as a bit on stage – I was very new in comedy."
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"I tried this material maybe six times in total. The other five times did not work, but that night at the Manchester Comedy Store, I don't know how I said it or why, but the audience were like 'this is the funniest thing ever,'" Rowe added.
Dennis was confirmed as the final celebrity of this year's Strictly line-up last week. He said at the time: "I'm thrilled to be doing this iconic wonderful show as I approach my 70th birthday!
"In my career, I've always gone for challenges outside my comfort zone and this is the ultimate one! Can't wait."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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