Born:
May 27, 1974
in
Basildon, Essex
Best Known For:
The Big Breakfast.
Early-life:
Born Denise Kathleen Outen on May 27, 1974, in Basildon, Essex. A former child actress, van Outen went to a local dance school. After doing some modelling she began auditioning for dramas, but found it difficult to continue with her education. She enrolled at theatre school and, because her parents couldn't afford the fees, paid for it herself by appearing in small roles on TV and stage.
Career:
Van Outen became a household name and lads mag favourite thanks to spells on The Big Breakfast and sitcom Babes in the Wood. Films such as Tube Tales and Love, Honour and Obey met with a lukewarm reception. Her stage work has been better received. She wowed the critics with her performance in Chicago, both in London and New York. Other West End roles include Tell Me on a Sunday, Rent Remixed, and Legally Blonde. She co-hosted Grease: You're the One that I Want for NBC in America in 2007, but was forced to take elocution lessons because the American audience did not warm to her Essex accent. Van Outen had better luck when she appeared on the panel of BBC1's Any Dream Will Do! which was casting Joseph in a new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She reunited with former Big Breakfast colleague Johnny Vaughan in 2008 as a co-host of the breakfast show on Capital Radio, but she quit a few months later half-way through her contract. In 2012, she partnered with professional dancer James Jordan on Strictly Come Dancing.
Quote:
"A lot of people probably think that I am outrageous in my ways but it's just fun. I often feel like a gay man trapped in a woman's body."
Trivia:
She has designed fashion collections for the website, Very.