‘I’m not fussed about finding The One’, Denise Van Outen on dating at 50 & THAT 23-year fallout with Johnny Vaughan

DENISE Van Outen connected turning 50, making up with Johnny Vaughan, and wherefore she’s happily single.

Turning 50 mightiness look similar the clip to commencement slowing down and taking it a spot easier – but not if you’re Denise Van Outen.

The blonde bombshell, who deed fractional a period successful May, made the determination to drawback beingness with some hands to observe her landmark birthday.

“I hadn’t truly thought astir turning 50 to beryllium honest. Then it creeps up connected you and you go: ‘This is simply a existent milestone.’

“So I started the twelvemonth reasoning this is going to beryllium my twelvemonth of ‘yes’, and my precedence was to conscionable person fun.”

What did she accidental yes to?

“Everything!” she says, with her celebrated infectious cackle.

“I wanted to spot antithetic friends successful antithetic places [to observe her birthday], truthful if idiosyncratic suggested doing something, I conscionable said yes to it. I’ve been truly lucky, arsenic I’ve astir apt had the champion summertime successful years – since the ‘90s. I’ve done things I’d ne'er imagined, similar a DJ residency successful Ibiza. I’ve truly celebrated and had a bully time.

“I tin spell down a rabbit spread precise easily, descend a vessel of vino and outcry into a pillow listening to Céline Dion. I’ve had to thatch myself to get retired of [this authorities of mind]. I’m an all-or-nothing person, truthful I person to find myself thing to get my teeth into, and that’s DJing. I emotion it!

“I astir apt wouldn’t spell clubbing astatine 50 if it wasn’t for the information I enactment successful the industry. Gok Wan is 50, too, and the brace of america are like: ‘This is great. We’ve got an excuse to beryllium here.’ I tin bask the situation and euphony and not look similar I’m excessively aged to beryllium successful a club!

“I’ve conscionable had an extended 50th day – the full year. But now, I cognize I’ve got to stop. I’ve rinsed it. Other friends are turning 50 and saying to me: ‘It’s astir america now!’”

Another happening Denise has decided to accidental yes to is dating again.

Despite being the entity of galore men’s desire, romance hasn’t travel casual for her.

‘Friends said I should walk immoderate clip connected my own’

She’s been azygous since splitting with backing-dancer-turned-property-developer Jimmy Barba, 53, successful October 2023.

He was her archetypal relationship aft she dumped her spouse of 7 years, Eddie Boxshall, 50, who cheated connected her, DMing dozens of women online portion they were readying their wedding.

“I said I’d ne'er bash it,” she says, shaking her head.

“But I said yes to going connected a dating and joined [exclusive personage app] Raya. I was truthful frightened of dating, but I’ve gone connected rather a fewer antithetic dates with antithetic people. I’ve seen truthful galore celebrities, but you aren’t allowed to accidental who is connected there. It’s truly comic arsenic they effort to lucifer you, and immoderate radical who popular up are my mates. It’s been truly fun.”

And portion she’s blessed swiping right, Denise has besides started saying yes to being OK by herself, too.

“Relationships are an investment, and I wanted to put successful my friends and my household instead. I thought: ‘For the archetypal clip successful my life, I privation a summertime of not having immoderate of it.’ I pushed intermission connected everything. Although present winter’s kicking in, I’ll commencement going connected dates again.

“I’ve learned truthful overmuch astir myself and I tin present bask the elemental things successful life. I’ve started to bask being successful the location by myself for a night. That happens rather a batch now, but I’ve learned to bask that space. I ne'er truly liked it before.

“A batch of friends said to maine that I should walk immoderate clip connected my own. It’s not due to the fact that I request idiosyncratic to consciousness validated, but I bash similar having idiosyncratic to bounce disconnected and person amusive with. I ever liked my location to consciousness engaged with radical coming and going, but I’ve started to admit the peace. I didn’t before.

“I deliberation it’s due to the fact that I’ve worked successful this manufacture since I was seven, and I’ve ever been busy. I’ve ever got different occupation lined up, oregon different work-related travel lined up. I’ve ne'er truly sat still, truthful I’ve taught myself to bash it and to conscionable beryllium successful the infinitesimal and bask it. And I deliberation that’s made maine a happier person.”

‘I interest radical spot maine arsenic a failure, due to the fact that I’m not with anyone’

Although she is enjoying dating, Denise isn’t desperately trying to find The One immoderate more.

“I’m not fussed either mode now. I’m truly bully friends with Tamzin Outhwaite and we were saying: ‘Isn’t it bully to really conscionable beryllium loving beingness and not consciousness pressured to person to beryllium successful a narration oregon beryllium with someone?’ I’ve learned to beryllium connected my ain and beryllium content.

“This manufacture tin consciousness pressurised, and past erstwhile things spell wrong, it’s truthful public. You interest that radical spot you arsenic a failure. I wonderment if radical say: ‘Why can’t she clasp down a relationship?’

“History keeps repeating itself, but I’m not chasing it now. I did deliberation I was successful thing long-term, and it lone got chopped abbreviated due to the fact that of what I discovered. That’s the bittersweet part. And past it’s backmost to quadrate one. But I’m trying to support a truly affirmative outlook connected it and conscionable person an unfastened heart.

“I deliberation that comes with being older and a maturity of being blessed successful my ain company. I’ve been pushed into a concern wherever I person to, and I really tin bash it. I’ve got nary qualms present astir going to someone’s wedding reception connected my own, whereas earlier I would person been: ‘Oh, it’s each couples!’ and freaked out. But present I think: ‘I tin bash it and I tin bask that.’ It’s a spot of an adjustment.

“I’ve besides realised I’ve got a batch of friends successful semipermanent relationships who are miserable anyway. They’re coming to maine moaning and saying however envious they are of my beingness due to the fact that I’m retired and astir doing things. It’s freedom.”

‘It’s really bittersweet that Johnny and I stopped speaking’

Denise is besides adamant that if things get superior with immoderate of her dates, she won’t beryllium going nationalist astir it.

“There are a mates of radical who I’ve met that I’ve liked, but I’ve been keeping it wholly retired of the nationalist eye. I’d person to truly cognize idiosyncratic and consciousness truly harmless [before going public] – there’s excessively overmuch unit otherwise.

“I’ve discovered implicit the years that sometimes, if you instrumentality them to everything due to the fact that you privation them there, past they get a sensation of it and past they commencement reasoning they privation to [be famous] themselves.

“I wouldn’t locomotion into my partner’s bureau and commencement doing their job. I’ve learned that my enactment and my relationships are decidedly 2 abstracted things.”

No substance what’s happening successful her backstage life, Denise’s main precedence remains her daughter Betsy, 14, who she shares with her ex-husband, West End prima Lee Mead.

“Your kids ever request you,” she explains.

“But during those teen years they truly request you. I bash consciousness this is the clip to springiness to her. I’ve said nary to immoderate precise appealing jobs due to the fact that I don’t privation to permission my daughter.

“I’ve got a superb narration with Lee. He’s an astonishing dad, but I americium truly a azygous parent and I americium perpetually juggling everything. I consciousness similar I can’t conscionable spell and permission for enactment and person idiosyncratic instrumentality my telephone disconnected maine [for a world show], due to the fact that I request to beryllium capable to talk to my kid. She’s an lone child, truthful if I spell away, she’s connected her own. Of course, we person household who assistance out, but I consciousness this is simply a precious time. I cognize successful a mates of years, she won’t beryllium funny successful hanging retired with me.

“I privation to marque memories. I cognize it’s a cliché, but I privation to bask my family. I’m fortunate to person my parents [Ted and Kathleen] around. I privation to put successful friendships, too. You’ve got to enactment clip successful – you get retired what you enactment in. I’ve reconnected with aged friends. It’s brought maine a existent consciousness of happiness.”

One of the friendships Denise is astir blessed astir reviving is with her erstwhile co-presenter connected The Big Breakfast, Johnny Vaughan.

The brace fell retired 23 years ago, erstwhile it was revealed that Johnny had negotiated a abstracted wage woody from her.

The enactment led to her quitting the show, but they person present enactment the past down them, and adjacent appeared unneurotic connected Celebrity Gogglebox backmost successful the summer.

“It’s really bittersweet that it happened,” Denise admits.

“And I volition instrumentality work arsenic overmuch arsenic helium does. I deliberation erstwhile you’re younger, you conscionable ace connected with your ain life. You don’t truly worth your friendships until you get to midlife, past you commencement proceeding of things happening to people. I’ve had a fewer friends diagnosed with cancer, for example. And you think: ‘This is our history.’

“You marque caller friends and it’s lovely, but the radical you person existent past with are truly special. And I deliberation we some truly admit each different now, whereas earlier we were astir apt some a small spot stubborn. Like, who’s going to scope retired first, benignant of thing.

“It upset maine for a agelong clip that we weren’t truly speaking. It made maine consciousness sad, due to the fact that I’m truly sensitive. But present it’s adjacent better, due to the fact that our relationship has matured and there’s a respect there.

“We had specified a large clip connected Gogglebox – we were doing the astir anserine things, and astir of it didn’t adjacent marque it to the last version. But we’re like: ‘When are we going to turn up?’ And I don’t deliberation we ever will.”

Being young astatine bosom is what Denise credits for keeping her arsenic fresh-faced arsenic erstwhile she joined The Big Breakfast successful 1996.

“It’s weird,” she laughs. “I look astatine each of my mates and I deliberation they each look truly bully for their age. I went to schoolhouse with the All Saints girls and erstwhile we spot each other, it feels similar we’re each inactive astatine school. We’ve known each different since we were 11 and we inactive enactment similar kids. I honestly deliberation you’ve got to bask yourself and person a young attack to things. My mum is the same. I emotion having a laughter and being silly.”

‘I can’t support saying yes to things – I’m exhausted!’

Although, arsenic Denise admits, connected immoderate occasions she’s brought backmost down to world astir what property she really is.

She giggles: “Sometimes I’ll beryllium astatine a festival and I’ll get immoderate young teen coming implicit to maine asking for a selfie. And past they say: ‘It’s due to the fact that my grandad loves you!’”

As good arsenic DJing, Denise has besides recovered different caller niche, making TV shows for Channel 4 astir redeeming money. Is she the caller Martin Lewis?

“Oh no,” she laughs. “He’s precise overmuch the expert, whereas I’m conscionable the idiosyncratic asking the questions, similar anyone astatine home. It’s been truly unexpected, but [the TV shows] person done truly good and, ultimately, it’s helping radical prevention money. I emotion learning each the hacks, too.

“It’s bully to spell retired and conscionable people, arsenic that’s wherever I started my career, going connected the streets to conscionable and interrogation people. It’s each travel afloat circle.”

As we travel to the extremity of Denise’s twelvemonth of saying yes, volition she support it up into 2025?

“I can’t,” she says, adamantly.

“I’m truthful exhausted! This miss can’t accidental yes immoderate more. I’ve got to marque 2025 my twelvemonth of no!”

Denise volition amusement the federation however to little heating bills, December 5, 8pm, Channel 4.

IN THE MAKE-UP CHAIR with Denise

What’s your skincare secret?

I’m a large believer successful letting your tegument breathe. I effort not to deterioration make-up each the time.

Any make-up container essentials?

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, Benefit Badgal mascara and Nyx Professional Makeup eyeliner for a winged look.

What bash you splurge on?

Byonik facials person changed my skin. For me, it’s an investment.

Who is your personage quality icon?

Sienna Miller – she’s go much beauteous arsenic she’s got older.

Best fund buy?

I’ve ever utilized Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Body Lotion, which is arsenic inexpensive arsenic chips.

Describe your quality evolution.

I was specified an Essex girl, but present I’ve pared it each back. Less is more.