Les Dennis' children are desperate to know about his relationship with Amanda Holden.

Les Dennis

Les Dennis

The 64-year-old comedian was married to the 'Britain's Got Talent' judge from 1995 until it emerged in 2000 that the blonde beauty had been having an affair with Neil Morrissey but, although details of their failed relationship were aired in public at the time, he doesn't want his kids Eleanor, 10, and Thomas, seven, whom he has with his wife Claire Nicholson, to know too much - even though they regularly pester him about the ins and outs.

Speaking to The Times newspaper, he said: "It was crazy, crazy. It feels like somebody's else life. It doesn't feel like it was me. My little kids will watch 'Britain's Got Talent' [on which Amanda is a judge] and ask questions and I will say, 'It was another lifetime ago.' "

During their bitter divorce, Les - who requested to end their marriage in 2003 - was dubbed "Les Miserable" but he believes appearing in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's sitcom 'Extras' proved to the nation that he did have a sense of humour.

He explained: "'Extras' gave me the chance to show that I was not Les Miserable, as so many papers ran with and I could have a sense of humour about it and reinvent.

"When I did 'Extras' I probably was a bitter old sod, but because I have taken my career somewhere else I have quelled that bitterness."

Les is now happily married to Claire - whom he tied the knot with in 2009 - and is adamant he's not interested in being "famous" anymore because he'd rather be "respected."

He said: "Claire is very wise and she pulls me up on stuff. She will say, 'Let's talk about this,' and she brings me back...

"It is not about fame any more. I want to prove that I am smart. I want to be accepted into the club -- to be possibly cool and respected. I want respect more than fame."