Denise and Johnny end 23-year rift over money
DENISE Van Outen and Johnny Vaughan are mates again after the pandemic gave them perspective on their 23-year-old bust-up.
The pair were a huge hit presenting The Big Breakfast in the 1990s but fell out when their agents renegotiated their deals separately – and Johnny got more.
However, Denise, 46, has now revealed they rekindled their friendship in lockdown.
And they may even reunite to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Channel 4 show next year. Denise said: “It would be nice to do something because we’ve had a bit of a rocky relationship over the years – and we’ve messaged a lot in lockdown.
“It’s sort of funny how these situations in life make you reflect and realise that some of the silly niggles and arguments you have are
just not worth it.” She has said of the row: “We were proper mates. I laughed every day, we used to laugh to the point where I was going to wet myself. Then things happened and we’ve had fallouts.”
On the contracts, she said: “I thought we were doing it as a team but his agent had other ideas and she got him more money.
“It became apparent we were not a team anymore and we never got back on track.”
Denise, forced to quit Dancing On Ice with a shoulder injury last month, left The Big Breakfast in 1998.
The mum of one returned two years later but she and Johnny, 54, failed to capture the same success and the show was axed in 2002.
They reunited on radio in 2008 to but she quit after six months. ●Denise is fronting Heineken’s Brewing Good Cheer campaign which highlights the important role pubs play in communities.