Denise Van Outen has posed for an exclusive photoshoot with HELLO! magazine to mark her 40th birthday – and revealed that she is ready to start dating again. The television and radio presenter split from husband Lee Mead last year. But, she tells HELLO! in an exclusive interview to accompany the pictures, she is now ready to start looking to the future.
Denise Van Outen
"My 40th is all about dating again," she said. "I've had a few offers and I've had all my friends trying to set me up but it's only now that I feel ready. I'm excited and looking forward to having a bit of fun." And she adds that relations between her and West End star Lee – with whom she has daughter Betsy - are very good. "People keep asking me if 40 signifies a new beginning or a fresh start but I don't feel like I've had a terrible time," she says. "I'm one of the few people who has gone through a break-up and it's remained amicable. We've got a good balance. We split the childcare and everything is genuinely good between us."
Denise, who celebrated her birthday at Soho club Disco, also tells the magazine that she is open-minded about what sort of man she will date. "Laughter for me is the key thing – I'm quite mischievous so I need to find the male naughty version of me," she reveals. "I don’t mind whether they are older, younger or have children but I want someone who is willing to take it slowly. I've decided that I won't introduce a man to my daughter for at least six months or until I know the relationship is solid, because I have to protect her. It's the same for Lee. There is no real need to introduce someone into her life until it feels right."
Read the full interview in HELLO! Magazine, out now.For more exclusive photos and video footage, download the HELLO! app by clicking here.