Denise Van Outen has done a Miracle with Grueling Training
Denise
van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most
notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart
in the musical Chicago both in the West End and on Broadway. Born Denise Kathleen
Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the youngest of Ted and Kathleen Outen's three
children and was brought up a Catholic. She has a brother Terry and sister
Jackie.
At the age of seven, she began modelling for knitting patterns and showed an
early flair for performing. This resulted in her attending the Sylvia Young
Theatre School. In 1986, at the age of 12, she played �ponine in Les Mis�rables
alongside fellow Sylvia Young student Melanie Blatt (the role paid her school
fees), the Anthony Newley directed production of Stop the World - I Want to Get
Off, and A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
As a teenager she had brief roles on a number of television dramas including
Kappatoo and The Bill. She also sang with Cathy Warwick in "girl group"
Those2Girls, by which time she had become Denise van Outen. She also did backing
vocals with Melanie Blatt for the band Dreadzone. 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.
During her first stint on the Big Breakfast show, she appeared as Jill in ITV1's
version of the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk alongside Julie Walters and Neil
Morrissey. Wanting to further develop her acting career, she left The Big
Breakfast at the end of 1998. In 1999, she appeared on several episodes of The
Bill and The Young Person's Guide To Becoming A Rock Star, the BBC's Murder in
Mind short series of crime dramas and on 2 series of Babes in the Wood with Karl
Howman and Samantha Janus.
Van Outen has also appeared in film, initially as Maureen in the crime comedy
Love, Honour and Obey. In the anthology film Tube Tales, set on the London
Underground, she played the lead character of Alex in the "Horny" segment,
directed by Stephen Hopkins. Van Outen has played a small role in the romantic
comedy Are You Ready For Love?
She first played Roxie Hart on the stage in the hit musical Chicago at the
Adelphi Theatre in the West End in April 2001. Her run proved a hit with
theatre-goers, selling out for the entire 20 weeks. Unknown in the United
States, she reprised her role on Broadway in the spring of 2002, before
returning to the show's London version in late April 2002. Late the same year,
Van Outen appeared as one of many special guest stars in a performance of The
Play What I Wrote once again in London's West End.
In 2003, she returned to the London stage at the Gielgud Theatre in Andrew Lloyd
Webber's one-woman show Tell Me On A Sunday which he reworked for her. She was a
huge success and the show ran for nearly a year. She then joined the cast of the
established ITV sentimental drama Where the Heart Is as one of the lead
characters, playing single mother Kim Blakeney, continuing for two series.
Van Outen played Maureen in the 2007 London revival of Rent Remixed directed by
William Baker until 22 December. She was forced to cancel some performances due
to a throat infection.
In July 2009, van Outen played Mary in Hotel Babylon for the BBC. Her character
was at the hotel for a science convention.
In August 2009, van Outen made her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in Blondes, a
show by Jackie Clune.
Van Outen took over the role of Paulette Bunafonte from Jill Halfpenny in the
West End production of Legally Blonde on 25 October 2010. She continued in the
role for 6 months.
In 2012, Van Outen was cast in the film of the Ray Cooney farce Run For Your
Wife alongside Danny Dyer, Sarah Harding and Neil Morrissey.Van Outen has
designed two collections thus far for the website, Very, part of the Shop Direct
Group. The first collection was a maternity range launched in March 2010 and the
second an autumn/winter collection.
For Strictly's tenth series in September 2012, van Outen was partnered by
professional dancer James Jordan. Early favourites, they secured the top
position of the leaderboard 7 times with Denise, including 4 consecutive top
positions. Criticism of her place in the competition arose as some viewers could
not accept her further progressing in the competition with her 'advantage' of
stage and dance experience over other celebrities. However, Outen and Jordan did
finish as runners-up with singer Kimberley Walsh and her partner Pasha Kovalev,
behind the winner gymnast Louis Smith and professional partner Flavia Cacace.
While performing on Strictly Come Dancing Denise Van Outen has been displaying a
distinctly trimmer physique in the wake of months of grueling training for the
BBC competition.
Wearing a purple halter-neck bikini, the TV presenter was seen enjoying the sun
and sea while on a New Year holiday with family in Dubai.
It was certainly a different look to that from 2008 when she seemed decidedly
less toned while on holiday in Los Angeles.
Miss Van Outen, 38, has previously said she works hard to maintain her figure by
boxing and going on long walks. �I�m happy with my body and feel confident about
getting into a bikini this summer,� she said in 2008.
�Like any woman, there are things that bother me. I could do with losing some
weight from the tops of my legs and if I over-indulge I do get a bulging tummy.�
Miss Van Outen � who was partnered with James Jordan for Strictly � was
criticised by viewers who thought that her stage school training put her at an
unfair advantage against fellow contestants.
Fans complained about the mother of one�s West End experience in musicals
Chicago and Legally Blonde. �Fantastic jive from James and Denise � and so it
should be! She�s had plenty of West End experience,� fashion journalist Hilary
Alexander posted on Twitter,Miss Van Outen flew to the United Arab Emirates with
her parents and daughter Betsy, and saw in 2013 at a star-studded bash.Meanwhile,
her husband Lee Mead, 31, was seen alone at the Tsunami sushi restaurant in
Clapham, south London, heading home before midnight.A spokesman said Mead had to
stay behind to finish his pantomime run in Jack And The Beanstalk at the
Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.
Denise
van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most
notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart
in the musical Chicago both in the West End and on Broadway. Born Denise Kathleen
Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the youngest of Ted and Kathleen Outen's three
children and was brought up a Catholic. She has a brother Terry and sister
Jackie.