The bubbly Essex life of Strictly and Celebrity Gogglebox star Denise van Outen
Basildon-born all-round screen and stage star Denise van Outen might have come to fame in the musical Chicago and on Strictly Come Dancing, but the 48-year-old remains glued to her Essex upbringing. Denise – one of three siblings, a brother, Terry, and sister, Jackie – was born in Basildon in May 1974. At an early age she proved to be a talented performer, attending the Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marble Arch, London.
By 1986, she had also performed in Les Miserables, starring as Eponine. As a teenager, Denise also started on the screen with credited roles in TV dramas including Kappatoo and The Bill. She also performed backing vocals with Melanie Blatt for the group Dreadzone.
READ MORE: Sainsbury’s Rayleigh Weir shoppers stunned as ‘Dolly Parton’ sings 9 to 5 with huge flash mob for Comic Relief Van Outen was voted Rear of the Year in 1999, and was top of a poll to find the most desired “bikini body” in a 2007 poll of readers of Grazia magazine. Since the early days of her career, Denise has starred in The Big Breakfast (1997-2001), Eastenders as Karin Smart (2015) and Strictly Come Dancing (2012).
On the stage, Denise featured in the West and on Broadway for shows such as Chicago and Legally Blonde among others. Plenty of people now recognise Denise as the blonde Essex star from Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4. Despite her high-profile celebrity status, however, she certainly enjoys her Essex upbringing.
The star of TV and stage is regularly spotted having a good time across the county.
Whether it be a trip with friends Duncan James and Cheryl Hole to The Lion Inn Hotel in Boreham, or a birthday trip to Mersea Island, Denise certainly knows some of the best spots to wind down in the county. In February last year, Denise was left shocked when intruders forced their way into her Essex home while she was away – even stealing her sex toy. On Steph’s Packed Lunch, the TV star said: “The worst part for me after that burglary was they took random things, but they also went through my knicker drawer.
So, I just know that they have taken. I can’t say what they took, but you can imagine. But there is some fella in a pub – or woman – waving it around.”
Denise joked that she wanted her much-loved “device” back in the hands of its original owner during the honest conversation. The TV star often provides a glimpse into her Essex home with pictures and videos shared on Instagram.
In August 2021, she renovated her garden to construct a patio garden with plenty of grass space for her beloved dogs to run around. Garden furniture on the patio means there is also plenty of room for friends and family to come round.
Denise also has a grey tiled bathroom with a white sideboard and large bathtub – as proven by one post from the TV star.
Denise hasn’t spent all of her life in Essex. She lived for a short while in Kent before returning to her roots in 2018. Inside her home, Denise has wooden stairways and pale white walls decorated with different items.
In one room, huge printed art of playing cards are framed and hung on the wall. In the living room sits a green velvet-looking sofa. It is placed against the background of a cream wallpaper with insects sporadically printed.
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