Denise Van Outen is "not fussed" about being in a relationship.
Denise Van Outen is happy to be single
The 50-year-old presenter - who has been single since splitting from Jimmy Barba in October 2023 - joined exclusive dating app Raya earlier this year and though she has been on a few dates, she isn't putting pressure on herself to find a new partner because she's very content with her own company these days.
Referencing the end of her engagement to Eddie Boxshall, who she split from in January 2022 after discovering he had been unfaithful, she told Fabulous magazine: “I’m not fussed either way now. I’m really good friends with Tamzin Outhwaite and we were saying: ‘Isn’t it nice to actually just be loving life and not feel pressured to have to be in a relationship or be with someone?’ I’ve learned to be on my own and be content.
“This industry can feel pressurised, and then when things go wrong, it’s so public. You worry that people see you as a failure. I wonder if people say: ‘Why can’t she hold down a relationship?’
“History keeps repeating itself, but I’m not chasing it now. I did think I was in something long-term, and it only got cut short because of what I discovered. That’s the sad part. And then it’s back to square one. But I’m trying to keep a really positive outlook on it and just have an open heart.
“I think that comes with being older and a maturity of being happy in my own company. I’ve been pushed into a situation where I have to, and I actually can do it. I’ve got no qualms now about going to someone’s wedding reception on my own, whereas before I would have been: ‘Oh, it’s all couples!’ and freaked out. But now I think: ‘I can do it and I can enjoy that.’ It’s a bit of an adjustment."
And Denise thinks she is happier on her own than some of her friends are in their long-term relationships.
She added: "I’ve also realised I’ve got a lot of friends in long-term relationships who are miserable anyway. They’re coming to me moaning and saying how envious they are of my life because I’m out and about doing things. It’s freedom.”
If she does find a new partner, the 'Celebrity Gogglebox' star - who has 14-year-old daughter Betsy with ex-husband Lee Mead - will be keeping her relationship private for some time.
She said: “There are a couple of people who I’ve met that I’ve liked, but I’ve been keeping it completely out of the public eye. I’d have to really know someone and feel really safe [before going public] – there’s too much pressure otherwise.
“I’ve discovered over the years that sometimes, if you take them to everything because you want them there, then they get a taste of it and then they start thinking they want to [be famous] themselves.
“I wouldn’t walk into my partner’s office and start doing their job. I’ve learned that my work and my relationships are definitely two separate things.”
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