SHE will be 50 years old and, fashionable, modern and wahey, Denise Van Outen feels sexier than ever.
The TV and music star is also back in the dating game, full of confidence and in a position to have fun.
She says, “As you get older, you don’t worry as much about what others think, you’re more confident in who you are, and you know what you want. I feel sexier than ever.
The Essex-born bombshell has been a regular on our TV screens since she took a break as co-presenter of Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast with Johnny Vaughan from 1997 to 2001.
Since then, she has appeared on some of the biggest TV shows and played Roxy in the hit musical Chicago, and fell in and out of love.
Ever the hopeless romantic, she is now unmarried after splitting from Jimmy Barba, 56, last year, following an 18-month relationship with the Italian-born style and asset developer.
She dated Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay from 1998 to 2001 in the past, and they got engaged before splitting.
Denise married show winner Lee Mead in 2009 and has a daughter, Betsy, 14, through him, but they separated in 2013 and divorced two years later.
She also dated commodity trader Eddie Boxshall from 2014 to 2022 and appeared with his beloved Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox, only to sell it after Xated messages to other women.
But Denise is depressed at the thought of starting her sixth decade of life as a single woman.
While she enjoys online dating, she is in no hurry to find a guy and settle down with him.
Denise, who directed in Chicago, London’s West End and on Broadway in the early 2000s and then returned to London in 2018, says: “It’s liberating to be single as a 50-year-old woman, absolutely liberating.
“I just allow myself to date and enjoy them just the way they are. There was a time when I felt like I couldn’t do that.
“I don’t feel like I should rush to do anything. When the time comes, I will be in a position to meet Mr. Perfect.
“I’ve been single for seven months and I love it. I’ve never allowed myself to breathe between my relationships just to enjoy freedom.
Denise adds, “I thought a dating app would never be right for me, but I joined Raya a few months ago.
“It’s known as the ‘dating app of the industry’ and it’s aimed at celebrities and media people. I’m in this just like me and it’s been fun. I recently had dinner and met some lovely guys.
“Some didn’t feel a romantic relationship, but I made friends, so I appreciate that.
“I’m in a great situation because I’m not in a hurry to find someone, so I don’t feel any tension, and it’s not that I shouldn’t start a family, so the guy doesn’t feel any tension. any.
“I’m just going through and I go with the flow. I’m not going through to force anything.
“I feel like now I can make the best choices possible. This is my new self: single and in a position to have fun.
Denise, a finalist on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, has been a judge for the skill shows Any Dream Will Do, Born To Shine and Ireland’s Got Talent, and narrates the favourite truth show The Only Way Is Essex.
She has also appeared in The Bill and EastEnders, the BBC crime dramas Murder In Mind, the ITV sitcom Babes In The Wood, and the 2010 West End musical Legally Blonde.
But making music is a passion.
In addition to DJing at her own Discolicious parties, Denise has been recording new songs recently. Last week, he took over Maggie’s Club, an ’80s-themed venue in west London, to shoot a video for a new song, also Discolicious.
For her look, she donned tight PVC pants and heels, as well as a corset-style crop top.
Eager to stay in top shape, Denise follows a grueling schedule at the gym and plays golf regularly.
She says, “I feel smart and I’m glad I’m 50 years old.
“With age comes wisdom and I’ve learned a lot to take better care of myself. If I look back at what I was when I was 40 years old, I see that now I’m putting a lot more effort into taking care of myself.
“I’ve stayed in shape because you have to be healthy in a race like mine.
“But those days I have more balance and variety. I paint in the gym and play sports, like golf. I take care of myself and only drink sporadically. I was a party girl in the ’90s, but not too much because I was still painting.
“I take care of my alcohol consumption and now I’m more moderate. If I go out partying, I do it more during the day because I like to get a good night’s sleep.
“The difference on those days is that I’m also taking care of my intellectual health.
“I’ve never done things like this in the past, but as you get older, you realize that it’s very important to take care of your brain as well as your body.
“I used to think that treatment was a very American activity, but I’ve since found that a lot of other people are doing it, and I think that’s great. “
After a recent low-key birthday party in England, Denise plans to fly to Los Angeles tonight to continue in the United States.
Without stopping there, you’ll then move on to Las Vegas to accentuate the party in Sin City.
She says, “I used to live in L. A. , so I swoon to see all my old friends. “I also travel to Las Vegas to see Adele play. I’ve known Adèle since I was young.
“I feel fortunate to have achieved true happiness at this point in my life.
“I have wonderful friends. I have met other wonderful people through his paintings and I still have my old friends from school.
“I have a clever organization of other people around me and I’m having a lot of fun.
“Life is about a smart combination of work, circle of family and friends, so I feel blessed.
“The icing on the cake will be when I meet a smart man. It will be great when someone comes and takes me away, but we’ll see. “
“I learned that you can’t force anything in life and that it’s all a matter of time.
“I know it’s a cliché, but if you intend something to happen, it will. “
And when it comes to her career, Denise has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
In addition to concerts in Ibiza this summer and those of his new bachelor next month, he is recording his first original solo album.
He will also return to the Proud Cabaret club in central London for a sultry one-night burlesque display in August.
Oh, and the most sensible thing about it all is that Denise begins to make plans to fulfill her life’s ambition: to climb Mount Everest Base Camp.
Denise says, “I feel like I’ve spent my life spinning plates. Now I have to spend a year doing all the things I love.
“Work will be a very sensible priority because it brings me a lot of joy and right now I love my career again. I’m in a smart position because there’s so much else going on.
“Along with all this work, I will be taking on private challenges. I may not be able to finish it next year, but I will start making plans for the climb to Everest Base Camp. It has been on my bucket list for ages.
“I love hiking and leaving the global hype behind to get back to nature: no phone, no glamour, just a backpack. “
Read the rest of Denise’s interview on RobMcGibbon. com.
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