Les Dennis and his fiancée, Claire Nicholson, became parents on Thursday to a little girl.  Les said “We’re thrilled.  This is a dream come true.  We’re ecstatic.”

The baby has been named, Eleanor Grace, and weighed 8lb 11oz.  She was born at 4.30am in a North London hospital.

Mr Dennis has a 28-year-old son, Philip, from his first marriage but it is the first child for Claire, and mother and baby are said to be doing well.

The former Family Fortunes host, who was at the birth, is now on paternity leave until June when he due to to rejoin the cast of the touring musical ‘Eurobeat’.

The couple have been together for two years after meeting at a ball for the Holby City actress, Laura Sadler, who died after falling from a balcony.

Mr Dennis, 53, was married to Amanda Holden for seven years, but they split-up in 2002 following her affair with Men Behaving Badly actor, Neil Morrissey.