Outen SPOTLIGHT about...
DENISE VAN OUTEN TELLS MARION McMULLEN SHE IS UNMASKING HER FUN SIDE FOR THE MASKED SINGER TOUR
Are there glam times ahead for you after lockdowns?
(Laughs) I only lasted two months into lockdown and then I desperately needed my roots doing. I ended up doing them at home.
I had to do an online sort of tutorial with a hairdresser over Zoom and she talked you through how to do it.
I also did a photo shoot the other day and I had to wear heels and then I had really sore feet afterwards and I couldn’t work out why they were so sore, and then I thought ‘Oh, I’m not used to wearing heels’.
My calves really hurt, but it’s the price you pay for a bit of glamour.
That’s the other thing, because of lockdowns, I’ve not had the chance to go somewhere and get really dressed up for a fun night out so I’m actually looking forward to putting on some glamorous dresses and getting some sequins out as a tour judge for The Masked Singer Live Tour.
Are you a big fan of the ITV show?
I was part of the very first series, as the Fox, and I’m totally hooked on it.
I actually discovered The Masked Singer as a TV show when I was in Australia doing Neighbours, because it was on there before it hit the UK.
I watched it and absolutely loved it, so I was probably one of the first celebrities in the UK to commit to it because I’d seen the format and seen how brilliant it was.
My daughter Betsy absolutely loves it and we sit and watch it together with my mum.
What was it like performing in your Fox costume?
This is why I’m quite pleased that, this tour, I get to sit on the judges’ panel – that costume was incredibly heavy.
Also, every time I went out to perform, because each individual mirror on the costume had to be polished, I had to stand for ages to be polished.
On the judges’ panel, I get to wear some nice glam frocks and I don’t have to worry about being polished before every show.
Are you looking forward to the tour?
Touring is amazing. The last tour I did was the Strictly [Come Dancing] tour and I loved it.
The celebrities will be kept away from us and it’s all done very cloak and dagger so we won’t know who the guests are, but just to hang out together with my fellow tour judge Aston Merrygold is going to be lovely and so much fun.
He’s very mischievous, and host Joel Dommett is a laugh a minute, so we are going to have a brilliant time on the road. I’m really looking forward to it. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
What will you pack for the tour?
I always take a onesie because there is a lot of commuting.
We are going to all the big cities and we normally go on a tour bus and all the crew are travelling and the glam team, and you become like a little travelling community.
It’s always a good atmosphere, but on those long commutes I’m always Ugg boots and onesie on, and comfy.
What music has helped you through lately?
I tried to listen to things that were quite uplifting. When we had the first lockdown, we had that amazing weather so I kind of went back to the disco time period with Donna Summer and Earth Wind And Fire and Chic. I’m quite a positive person anyway and I quite like listening to uplifting music and I like things to be fun. I’m so camp.
Obviously when Steps brought their album out I was one of the first people to download it because I love a little bit of Steps.
I like good, fun music and at the same time I absolutely love Adele’s new album. I just think she is quality.
What else have you been up to recently?
I love doing Steph’s Packed Lunch. It’s going from strength to strength and is a really good daytime show.
It’s lovely to be back on Channel 4, where I started my TV career, and I’m actually working with some of the original production team from The Big Breakfast. I feel like I’ve gone full circle and it’s really nice.
My autobiography, A Bit Of Me, is out and I’m working on my music and am back in the studio. That’s off the back of The Masked Singer as well.
I co-wrote a play years ago and performed it in 2014 as a onewoman show and I really enjoy the writing process.
I think, this year, I want to sit down and write another play. I have some ideas in mind and I’m thinking possibly a two-hander.
I love doing one-woman plays but with a two-hander you get someone to share a dressing room with and a bit of banter, so I’m going to knuckle down and get writing.
As much as I am a performer, I was born with jazz hands, I like the creative element of writing.
Writing is a real passion.
What’s next for you?
I’ve just got a part in a film. A British comedy Sumotherhood, with Jennifer Saunders and Ed Sheeran. I feel really lucky that I am accepted in different areas because sometimes it can be quite tricky to branch out, but I think the industry has changed so much and you can be slightly diverse, whereas when I first started you were quite pigeon-holed.
At the start of my career, I was just seen as a presenter, and when I went on to do Chicago and do theatre, it was a bit of a shock and ‘oh, I had no idea she could do this’.
I feel like I’ve gone full circle and it’s really nice Denise on being back on Channel 4 as a co-presenter on Steph’s Packed Lunch
Is it sad to be saying goodbye to Aussie soap Neighbours now that it is ending?
It’s really sad. It was one of the best jobs I’ve ever done and the cast was so warm and friendly. I’m still in touch with them.
We still FaceTime and Jason Donovan’s daughter, who played my daughter on the show, has become a good friend.
I will miss it. It’s a real shame. It’s been a big part of all of our lives for so many years.
The Masked Singer Live UK Tour runs until April 18. Go to TheMaskedSingerLiveUK.com
■