“We made co-parenting work”
She’s co-parented her daughter Betsy with ex-husband Lee Mead since their split in 2013.
And despite both of them moving on with new partners, Denise Van Outen says she and Lee, 38, have a strong and solid relationship, and co-parent Betsy, nine, very amicably.
In fact, the pair, who were granted a divorce in 2015, have even holidayed together since their split, and she has previously admitted he comes round for tea once a week.
Denise, 45, says, “I have a great relationship with Lee and I’m so grateful for that. We have respect for each other and we get on with it. I think it just works so well because we have the same view that Besty comes first.”
Denise met Lee while they were both starring in BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do, with him as a contestant and her as a judge. The pair got married but split four years later, saying they hoped to remain “the best of friends, with Betsy as a priority”.
She says, “You’ve just got to always just think of the kids. Your child comes first in everything. When you become parents, it stops being about you and it’s always about what is best for your child. “And you have to ensure there’s give and take. That’s what it’s about. You can’t be selfish and one-sided.”
Denise adds that, now Betsy is older, she’s excited to take on more work projects, after admitting she stepped back from her career when her daughter was younger.
She says, “When I had
Betsy, I wanted to be more of a hands-on mum. If anything, I slightly let Lee have more of the freedom to go and do the work. He was touring and acting, and I was doing a lot of the more mum stuff.
“Now Betsy’s a little bit older, I feel like I can get my career back a little bit, because she understands what I’m doing. I’ve done The Masked Singer and obviously that was amazing, and I’ve done Neighbours recently. I’m excited to see what 2020 will bring.”