Waterman's marriage to Lenska ended because of his violent behaviour towards her. In March 2012, he caused controversy with some comments on this issue: "It's not difficult for a woman to make a man hit her. She certainly wasn't a beaten wife, she was hit and that's different."Naomi McAuliffe "Dennis Waterman and the 'problem with strong, intelligent women'", The Guardian, 20 March 2012Joan Smith "Blame the victim – a classic with wife-beaters", The Independent, 21 March 2012 The interview was broadcast in full on Piers Morgan's Life Stories on ITV in May 2012.Murray Wardrop "Dennis Waterman admits punching ex-wife but insists she was 'not a beaten woman'", The Daily Telegraph, 20 March 2012
