Andy Devaney
Denise Van Outen has never exactly given the impression of someone who spends her afternoons alphabetising tea bags, but even by her standards, life has been moving at a lively clip.
The actress, singer and broadcaster is preparing for what she calls an “exciting” winter after being confirmed for the next series of ITV’s Dancing on Ice. That means sequins, skates, bruises in places best not discussed before breakfast, and the sort of balance test that makes walking across a freshly mopped kitchen look like an Olympic discipline.
Away from the rink, Denise Van Outen is also backing a new campaign by Uswitch, after research from the energy comparison site found that one in three Brits would pay someone £200 to take domestic chores off their hands.
Frankly, after lockdown, homeschooling, housework, work-work, and the eternal tyranny of the ironing pile, that sounds less like indulgence and more like a national survival strategy.
Why Free Time Matters More Than Ever
For Van Outen, 46, the value of free time has become painfully clear. Like many working parents, she has spent recent months juggling motherhood, career demands and home life with the grace of someone trying to carry six shopping bags, a laptop and a child’s PE kit in the rain.
“In this day and age, we’re all very guilty of taking on too much. I know I’m always super busy, trying to do a million things and juggling being a mum while working,” says Van Outen, 46, who has a 10-year-old daughter, Betsy.
“Between school runs, rushing around at work and keeping the house sorted, free time is something I very rarely get. I think that’s the same for most people.
“In recent months, things have changed slightly, but when you’re commuting to and from work, it can very time-consuming. You’ll always have a list of things at home that you want to get done but you just never get around to doing it.”
It is a familiar domestic scoreboard: life 1, laundry 0, and the cupboard under the stairs winning by technical knockout.
The Great Wardrobe Reckoning
Ask Denise Van Outen what she would do with more free time and the answer is not wildly glamorous. No private island. No monk-like retreat in the hills. No “finding herself” beside a Himalayan bell.
She would start with a clear-out.
“I’d have a big clear-out. In recent months, I’ve looked through my wardrobe and realised I’m actually a bit of a hoarder. I’ve got clothes I’ve kept since the Nineties that I know I’m never going to wear again.
“You think to yourself, ‘Why do I keep these things?’ Just in the hope that one day it’s going to come back into fashion.
“I cannot bare ironing too, so that’s something I always put on the back burner, and think, ‘Oh I’ll do that next week’. Finding the time to get everything done would just be such a weight off my shoulders.”
There is a deep truth in that. Somewhere in Britain, a pair of trousers from 1998 is still hanging in a wardrobe, quietly waiting for Britpop to return and low-rise waistbands to be declared a public good.
Walking And The Fresh Air Reset
For all the showbiz sparkle around Denise Van Outen, her preferred reset button is pleasingly ordinary: a long walk with the dog.
“I love going for nice long walks with the dog. We live next to a forest, so that’s always lovely. When we went into lockdown and were allowed to go out for one form of exercise a day, we rediscovered a love of walking, cycling and just exploring where we live.
“It clears your head as well. It’s your chance to just take a step away from everything.”
That is the thing about walking. It doesn’t come with a membership card, a mirror wall, or someone shouting “last push” while you reconsider every life choice since GCSE maths. It simply gets you outside, moving, breathing, and away from the dishwasher’s accusatory glare.
For readers interested in everyday wellbeing, this is where Denise Van Outen’s routine feels refreshingly achievable. No punishing wellness theatre. No 4am cold plunge sermon. Just movement, fresh air, and a bit of space between the ears.
Fitness Without The Boot Camp Drama
With Dancing on Ice on the horizon, fitness naturally matters. But Van Outen’s approach is less about punishment and more about consistency.
“I just try and do a little bit of exercise every day, as much as I can. I don’t do a lot, maybe like half an hour, but it’s just enough to get the blood pumping.
“Obviously, I’m 46 now and I just feel like it’s really important to keep your bones strong, keep yourself fit and healthy, and keep yourself supple. It’s not just physically strong, it’s mentally strong as well,” says the Essex-born star.
“I’ve got a friend that I work with locally, so we just do a little assault course in the garden with some weights. I don’t always do loads of cardio, sometimes I’ll just do weights. I think the main thing with exercise is to just make sure it’s something you enjoy.
“I’ve tried things like boot camps before, but the pressure in those places! I’ve been in a class with a lot of other ‘body beautiful’ people, where they’re just hammering away on the treadmill. I just can’t do that, so you come out feeling a bit deflated. Whereas at home, I’ll make it a bit of fun, and not put too much pressure on myself to the point where I’m thinking, ‘ I don’t want to do this again tomorrow’.”
That may be the most useful fitness advice most people will hear all week. The best routine is not the one with the most dramatic lighting or the loudest instructor. It is the one you will still do tomorrow.
How Motherhood Changed Her Outlook
Denise Van Outen says age and motherhood have sharpened her awareness of looking after herself. Not in a glossy, performative way, but in the practical sense that health is what lets you keep showing up for the people who matter.
“With age it has, definitely. It’s made me more aware of my body and looking after myself. I think when you become a mum as well, and you’ve got a child that you’re looking after, you want to be around for them.
“So I’m like, ‘OK, there are a few things that need to be changed here’. I need to just really look after myself.”
It is not about chasing some mythical version of youth. It is about strength, energy, resilience and being able to get through the day without feeling as though you have been reversed over by a shopping trolley.
Everything In Moderation
When it comes to diet, Van Outen is not pretending that joy can be found exclusively in steamed broccoli and mineral water.
“It’s everything in moderation with me, so I do allow myself treats. I try not to cut out too many things, just purely because I think you crave them more.
“Eddie [Boxshall, Van Outen’s boyfriend] could eat a bar of chocolate every night, but I’m more savoury, so things like crisps and cheese and are my downfall.
“I think as long as you’re exercising and being sensible, then you should be able to enjoy those things too.”
There is a lesson there for anyone who has ever declared war on carbohydrates on a Monday and been found face-down in a packet of crisps by Wednesday. Balance, not banishment, tends to be the grown-up answer.
The Wellbeing Habit She Trusts Most
For Denise Van Outen, the wellbeing ritual that works is simple: exercise.
“Exercise. Honestly, people have said to me for years that it makes you feel great, and it’s so true.
“If I’ve got a day when I’m not feeling great – this whole year has been strange for most of us – just getting up and getting outside in the fresh air makes a massive difference to how I feel.”
And there it is. No grand reinvention. No impossible blueprint. Just a reminder that sometimes the most effective health habits are the least complicated.
Denise Van Outen remains rooted in something far more relatable: family, fresh air, movement, moderation, and the occasional battle with a wardrobe full of ghosts from the Nineties.