Strictly star Stefan Dennis reveals bizarre reason he was almost fired from Neighbours

Stefan Dennis has spoken out about the time he was almost fired from Neighbours. The actor, 66, found fame as the evil Paul Robinson on the Australian soap upon its inception in 1985 and initially stayed for eight years before making a comeback in 2004 after enjoying a stage career in the UK.

Whilst he was initially reluctant to make a return, he was eventually persuaded to do so by Alan Dale, who played his on-screen dad. But just two years later, in 2006, the bosses of the programme wanted to dismiss him from the show for being too good at his job. During that time, his alter-ego had been at the centre of numerous affairs, had been married seven times and had subjected several of his fellow Ramsay Street residents to multiple scams.

He said: "They said: ‘We have to fire you, for doing your job so well.’ They said: ‘It doesn’t matter what we’ve thrown at you, and some of the things have been quite ridiculous and a bit over the top, you’ve always made it work. It’s our fault, not yours. The character has now almost become a caricature; he’s too big for what we’re trying to do."

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But Stefan fought for his job, and just days later, bosses came up with a solution that would allow Paul to remain on-screen. Speaking to The Guardian, Stefan explained: "[I told them] I’m an actor. It’s my job to make it work," and the soap star then saw his character through a storyline that saw him have his leg amputated after a plane crash.

Stefan remained in his role until Neighbours was initially axed in 2022, and appeared in the finale that saw former stars such as Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce return to the programme that made them famous. It was revived by Amazon shortly after, but even that is set to come to an end in December, with the final scenes already having been shot.

The soap legend's next gig will be on Strictly Come Dancing, and he is currently gearing up to show off his footwork alongside fellow celebrities like Love Island's Dani Dyer, Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison and football manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, amongst a host of others.

But he remains ever-grateful for the soon-to-be-defunct soap and counts himself as 'extremely lucky' because of it. He said: "I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you today had it not been for my time in Neighbours. I wouldn’t be doing Strictly. Whether it was the first seven years or whether it was the 29 years in total, I’ve been extremely lucky!"

He recently admitted that he had meant Strictly to be an intensely romantic gesture to his dancer wife, Gail, who has long dreamt of joining him on the dance floor. However, since signing up to the show, he admitted Gail has found herself worrying about the infamous “Strictly curse” and wondered if it could spell the end of their 25-year marriage.

He toldThe Mirror: "It has been brought up. I keep having to remind her and say, ‘Stop worrying, stop worrying, darling, you are fine!'" While his Neighbourscharacter Paul Robinson is famous for being an egotistical womaniser, Stefan is very happily married to Gail with whom he shares sons Cameron, 23, Declan, 20, and daughter Darci, 16. So what’s the secret to a happy marriage? He said: “Acceptance and understanding.

"And waking up every day and looking at a woman who I just think is stunning and gorgeous in every way.” Gail flew to London with Stefan when he was announced as the 12th celebrity taking part in this year’s Strictly. As well as catching up with friends, she gave him some basic tips before flying home to Australia at the end of August to settle Darci into her last year at school.

Now Stefan is on his own and waiting to find out who his dance partner will be. Above all, he’s hoping for someone who will be patient.

He said: “They need to be patient but also prepared to have a good laugh. I do need somebody that, certainly in the first few weeks, is going to be totally in control so that they guide me and lead me the right way because of the fact I can’t dance.”

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