Denise Van Outen opens up about nearly proposing to Eddie Boxshall

Loose Women star Denise Van Outen has opened up about potentially marrying her boyfriend of seven years, Eddie Boxshall. Denise, who starred on The Masked Singer last year and Dancing On Ice this year, spoke to Good Morning Britain about the prospect of tying the knot.

Although Denise has spoken about it before, she admitted to Susanna Reid and Alastair Campbell that she's more keen on the idea now, and even nearly proposed to Eddie herself last year!

She said: "We never had any plans to get married. There’s never been an engagement, although I was planning on leap year to propose. Eddie will be surprised watching this, but all of that got cancelled. I was planning to and then we had conversations again last year and we said we would like to get married.

"I said, 'Let’s not worry about getting engaged. We’ll just plan a day and have close friends and family there when things reopen.' We live like a married couple anyway. So it would be nice to cement the relationship in this way."

When are Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall getting married?

This comes after her previous comments to Hello! magazine in January 2021 about when they might potentially tie the knot.

"After we’ve finished our podcast and this dreadful lockdown ends, there will be wedding bells," she admitted. Denise added that her 10-year-old daughter Betsy, who she shares with ex-husband Lee Mead, is desperate for them to get hitched. "She tells us that all the time. We want to do it, too, surrounded by all our family and friends."

Denise also spoke out about how she and Eddie attended couples' counselling for their podcast: "There’s been no official proposal yet but we talk about getting married a lot. One day I commented that I never understood why a lot of people dive into marriage without ironing out their niggles first because the problems just creep up on them years later.

"That’s when we came up with this fun idea for a podcast series for myself and Eddie which would involve having counselling to sort out flaws that most people brush under the carpet before we venture into matrimony."

Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall's children

Denise admitted in July 2020 that babies are not in the future for herself and boyfriend Eddie Boxshall. The couple, who appear on Celebrity Gogglebox together, have been in a relationship for six years - but have said the 'ship has sailed' on having children together.

In an interview with OK! magazine, Denise and Eddie - both 46-years-old - revealed that they hadn't initially ruled out expanding their family, but as it hadn't happened they were happy to prioritise other aspects of their lives.

Denise explained, "Well, that ship has sailed now! About three years ago we had a chat and said, 'If it happens, it happens.'

"But since then we’ve moved into our house and we both want to enjoy this next chapter of our lives as we are. Betsy’s still young enough that we get to enjoy the fun kid things with her. And we’re excited for the future."

Eddie has two grown-up children from a previous marriage, and added, "I’ve got kids of my own and Betsy feels like my daughter, too," as Denise joked, "That’s why we got our French Bulldog Tilly. She’s our furry baby!"

Denise even joked about grandchildren, "Eddie’s kids are grown-up so, in a few years, we’ll have grandchildren staying over at our house," as Eddie protested, "I’m too young to be a granddad," and Denise retorted, "No, you’re not, you’re grey!"

Who is Eddie Boxshall?

Eddie Boxshall is reportedly a commodities trader. He's from Essex and is 46-years-old.

When did Eddie Boxshall and Denise Van Outen meet?

The pair met on a blind date in July 2014 after being set up by a mutual friend. Eddie told Hello! of their first date in 2017, "All I'd been told was that I would be meeting a woman called Denise, I had no idea it was Denise Van Outen. When I saw that it was her, it came as a surprise — a lovely one.

"To be honest, it was an advantage not knowing too much about her career because it meant there was even more for me to find out about her. The chemistry, for me, was definitely there and I couldn't wait to see her again." Aww!

Denise added, "When I found myself single and just about to turn 40, I didn't want to be on my mobile, swiping left and all that business. Constantly talking on the phone and messaging each other is a waste of time, you might as well go and meet the person and you'll know within the first half hour if it will work or not.

"With Eddie I knew within 10 minutes — we just clicked. All my best times with him are when it's just the two of us."

Are Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall engaged?

The couple are not currently engaged or married - but if their interview with OK! is anything to go by, it might not be too long before they are! They live together in Chelmsford, Essex, with Denise's daughter Betsy from her relationship with Lee Mead, after moving in together in January 2019.

Denise said of moving in together, "Living together feels just right for us now. Some people might think: 'They've taken their time,' but we never felt the need to rush. We're both parents and in our mid-40s. We wanted our relationship to progress naturally.

"This is our first place together. Finding it, doing it up and settling in as a family has been so exciting. We couldn't be happier."

Do Eddie Boxshall and Denise Van Outen have any children?

They don't have any children together, but Denise has Betsy and Eddie has two children from a previous relationship - 21-year-old Leah and 25-year-old son Jordan. Eddie and Denise recently celebrated Leah's 21st birthday in lockdown with an incredible party!

Eddie's son Jordan occasionally appears in his Instagram feed too!

Scroll through to see which celebrities are starring in Celebrity Gogglebox this series:

Celebrity Gogglebox continues every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4.

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