It's not every day an invitation to Downing Street arrives in the post, and for Denise Van Outen the chance to visit the iconic residence proved particularly exciting. On Tuesday evening, the TV star stepped out of her London home to attend a function at No.10 hosted by Samantha Cameron. Dressed in a summery orange dress and sandals, the mum-of-one smiled broadly as she arrived for the reception. In her hand, she proudly clutched her official invite, which she couldn't resist showing off on Twitter.
"Samantha Cameron requests the pleasure of the company of Denise Van Outen at a reception at 10 Downing Street from 6 pm until 7.30 pm," it read. Joking that the event was like a house party, Denise, 39, quipped in the caption, "The first invite I've had in a while that doesn't say 'bring a bottle!' #Loveahouseparty."
When the star did arrive at the Prime Minister's residence, she stopped to pose for a photograph by the famous front door, tweeting, "The classic Tommy Tourist picture. Had to be done! #10DowningStreet." Other famous faces invited to the reception included Daybreak presenter Kate Garraway and newsreader Helen Fospero.
They met with parents and staff from the Dorset children's hospice Julia's House, and Kate later tweeted, "Wonderful eve meeting parents & staff from #julia'shouse at #no10 — amazing charity."
While Denise was attending the event, her husband Lee Mead was no doubt at home looking after their three-year-old little girl Betsy. Recently the couple's marriage has been dogged by rumors of a rift, but last week they put those reports to rest as they cosied up together at the launch of Lee's new musical. Denise looked happy and proud as she cuddled up to her husband of four years after watching his performance in West End Men.