Les was chopping onions in his sleep

Trying to avoid a kitchen calamity gave Les Dennis nightmares.

The popular entertainer is trying to cook up a storm on this week’s Celebrity MasterChef.

And he admits it became a 24-hour-a-day obsession.

“I was chopping onions in my sleep, my every waking thought was about sauce, how to make a roux, how to make ice cream.

“I was poring over cookery books non-stop.”

And getting into the white hot heat of the telly studio didn’t help.

“I started off absolutely shaking,” confides the 59-year-old actor and comedian.

“John Torode actually said, ‘If you do one thing before you chop another vegetable, just breathe.’

“I was so out of my comfort zone and John and Gregg Wallace are really tough.

“People say that you get longer than the time and it’s all set up for TV but that’s definitely not the case.

“If they say you have an hour, you have an hour.”

Les famously had a telly meltdown on Celebrity Big Brother years back when his marriage to Amanda Holden was floundering.

But, kitchen crisis apart, this left a much better taste in his mouth.

“I’ve had my reality fix with Big Brother so this was certainly a happier reality TV experience,” he admits.

“That’s a distant memory now and with this I thought I’d at least be learning something.

“I love to cook and it’s made me so much better.

“It’s also made me more critical in restaurants.

“I want to see the edges of the plate have been cleaned and I expect the food to taste better than I would have before.

“But I also have massive respect for really good chefs because you know it’s hot in that kitchen.”

Les is still rustling up dishes for wife Claire and young kids Eleanor and Thomas.

But evenings are now taken up with a starring London West End role in Spamalot.

He took over from Joe Pasquale as King Arthur with Bonnie Langford as the Lady of the Lake.

“It’s lovely to be in a lead role in a West End musical,” adds Les.

“I’m having a ball but it’s a bit strange as the newcomer joining this small cast that has been doing this for a couple of years.

“You do get to rehearse but it’s like jumping on to a moving train.

“And you’re not just jumping on as a passenger you have to drive the train!”

Celebrity MasterChef, BBC1, Wednesday and Thursday