ExCLUSIVE: Denise Van Outen, a singer and TV host, claimed she started golf after her divorce because she wanted to meet “lots of men” and that the majority of her male friends had joined her.
Denise Van Outen says she teed up the best way to find a new man – by taking up golf. The presenter and singer reveals she first took a punt on putting to bag a date. After divorcing, Denise saw it as a better option compared to dating sites and boozy nights out.
According to Denise, “I wanted to go somewhere where there are just loads of men,” was the reason I got into it. “I just went, “Where can I go?” – I can recall spending time with my friend.
“Because when you’re young, you just go to a nightclub. And I was like ‘I’m not going to be able to do that now, and I just don’t want to spend all night in the nightclub’. I was like ‘Where have all the nightclubbers gone?’ And I looked, and most of my male friends have grown up and got into golf. I thought ‘Perfect’.” Former Strictly runner-up, Denise, 51, also now a successful DJ, divorced Any Dream Will Do winner Lee Mead, with whom she has daughter Betsy, ten years ago.
She is now reported to have a new businessman partner, Adam Butler, who joined her on holiday in the Maldives last month. She previously dated trader Eddie Boxshall and Italian property businessman Jimmy Barber, whom she split from in November last year after 18 months together.
After being told her idea would stoke a wave of women heading for the golf course, she has since stayed passionate about golf and is now interested in seeing more women pursue it. We need more women playing golf, she said, and that finding a new passion in later life is good.
I’ve taken that on trips and visited some lovely places. I spend a lot of my holidays playing golf or DJing. I’m able to play. I have ball-like ability.
She claimed that Barbados, where players are constantly being served cocktails by staff on buggies, is the “most fun” course she has ever taken. When asked how that affects her performance, she responded, “It typically gets better and then it really starts to go downhill quite quickly.”
Following her split from Jimmy, Denise told the Mirror: “This summer has probably been the most sort of hedonistic summer I’ve had since the 90s. I’ve had a lot of fun a lot of going out lot of drinking rosé wine in the summer and enjoying myself. But I’m good at knowing when to stop.”
She previously opened up on how she was exploring new romantic possibilities after joining the celebrity dating app Raya. Denise said: “I did connect with one massive Hollywood star. We had a little bit of the chat, but I don’t live in LA, so I thought, he’s not going to come to Chelmsford.
” I loved it]Raya]. I’ve made some friends. I go on dates. Not an angel, I am. I’m having fun on the go. Denise isn’t ready to start dating again after hearing about her pals’ experiences.
She said, “I’m all moaning anyway, my friends in these long-term relationships.” They constantly argue and claim they don’t have sex. When their other half is asleep in bed at night, they make an effort to snuck in.
I’m happier now than I used to because I’m content with myself, Denise continued. You hear about people developing illnesses as we get older.
When she was a young woman, I lost her. It made me realize that recognizing that you are still here and able to enjoy yourself and perform certain tasks is more important.
Denise has had a rocky love life as she was married to performer Lee Mead but divorced in 2015, and she later dated Eddie Boxshall. In 2022, they broke up following allegations of illicit text exchanges with other women behind her back. She discovered love again with Jimmy, who appeared to have mended her broken heart, but they later split.
