‘ Nights out with Denise & Myleene are raucous!’ Tamzin Outhwaite on her ‘grown-up gap year,’ shunning surgery and letting loose with her celeb pals

he was left heartbroken in S 2013 after her seven-year marriage to actor Tom Ellis collapsed over his alleged cheating – but actress Tamzin Outhwaite has admitted she’s loving life again.

The former Eastenders and New Tricks star is currently in the middle of a 12-month career break, opting to stay at home and enjoy more time with her daughters Florence, seven, and Marnie, three, and “taking the gap year I never had.”

FAMILY TIME

Tamzin, 45, tells Closer : “I’ve been loving it. I’ve been horse-riding, learning Italian, playing a bit of the piano and guitar, I went camping with the girls and took a trip to Spain to see my mum.

“I’ve worked relentlessly for 20 years so I know we’re not going to starve, and I worried I’d wake up and my kids would suddenly be teenagers and I’d have missed it.”

She adds: “It’s been amazing being able to spen d more quality time with them. No one’s

WILD NIGHTS

But as well as plenty of family time, Tamzin – who split from Miranda actor Tom, 37, after he reportedly admitted to being unfaithful – has also been enjoying some wild nights with her circle of celebrity pals, including Denise Van Outen, Myleene Klass, Kate Thornton, Emma Bunton and All Saints singers Nicole and Natalie Appleton – who have recently reunited with their two former bandmates for a comeback.

Tamzin says: “Myleene is a dark horse – she likes a drink. And Denise is raucous! I go out drinking with Nicole and Natalie, too. We’ll all be there at the All Saints gigs! Even before I knew the girls I was a massive fan!”

BODY IMAGE

And while the acti ng world i s noto ri o us l y age-obsessed, Tamzin insists she’s never been tempted to go under the knife or try fad diets.

She says: “I’ve never had fillers or Botox because my mum is obsessed with growing old gracefully. That doesn’t mean that in 10 years’ time I won’t have something, but I don’t know about going under the knife.

“My mum’s Italian so we always ate well, and I’ve always made sure that eating doesn’t become an issue for my daughters.

“Kids can be cruel, and when your child says something like ‘I don’t want to wear that jacket because it makes me look fat’ it’s like a dagger to your heart.”