Denise Van Outen announces split from partner Eddie Boxshall
Denise Van Outen has announced that she and long-term partner Eddie Boxshall are no longer a couple, after spending seven years together.
The 47-year-old presenter told her fans on Instagram in a post on Friday night that she "had to make the difficult decision not to continue in our relationship".
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She added: "I will always treasure the good times we spent together, and the memories made.
"We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time, especially for our children."
Van Outen and Boxshall — a commodities trader — got together in 2014 and had initially planned to get married in 2021, but postponed the ceremony out of desire to have a wedding away from lockdown restrictions.
The couple met when one of Van Outen's friends set them up on a blind date, despite the fact she thought he looked like Bruce Forsyth when she first saw a photo.
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The star told the White Wine Question Time podcast: "I see myself as still looking like 21 – you know, when you think you still look all right and you don't see anything – I thought I look good for my age.
"Then they sent me a picture of you with grey hair and I thought: ‘He looks like an old man!’”
Before meeting Boxshall, Van Outen was married to singer and West End performer Lee Mead, with whom she shares 11-year-old daughter Betsy.
They were married from 2009 until 2013 but maintain a close relationship, with Van Outen saying in 2019 that they still speak every day.
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She said: "I speak to Lee daily, so I always know what's going on, and Betsy knows how loved she is by both of us.
"We even all jetted off to Dubai for a family holiday together one year. It's amazing can we do that without there being any problems."
Van Outen and Boxshall recently appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox together and she competed on last year's series of Dancing On Ice, quitting the competition due to a shoulder injury.
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