Denise Van Outen was offered Tess Daly’s gig on Strictly Come Dancing

OHMYGOSSIP — Denise Van Outen was almost the host of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ instead of Tess Daly.
The ‘Celebrity Gogglebox’ star opted not to host the BBC One Latin and ballroom competition after her late pal Sir Bruce Forsyth – who hosted the show until 2015 before being replaced by Claudia Winkleman, and passed away in 2017 – recommended her for the job.
The 48-year-old West End star told ‘The Matt Haycox Show’ podcast: “When they first came up with the idea, I was offered ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
“I knew Bruce Forsyth really well. And I’ve done a few shows with him. We used to sing together.
“He [Bruce] came to me and approached me to be sidekick in the new ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
“He said to me, ‘There’s this show, it’s all ballroom, it’s gonna be celebrities’. And he said, ‘I want to open the show with a song and dance with you, and close it with you,’ because he knew that I danced and sang.
“I remember sitting there and I went to him, ‘Bruce, it sounds really boring!’
“So, they gave it to Tess Daly. Then it became a huge hit, and I was thinking, ‘Maybe I was an idiot turning that down.’ ”
Denise reflected on how it had all “worked out” as Tess had “done it so well” and how she had been able to explore many avenues in her showbiz career since turning the job down.
She said: “But, actually, when I look back, Tess has done it so well for many years, but just kind of does that, and she’s associated with it.
“Whereas, I went on to do Broadway, I’ve done film, I’ve done theatre in the West End – I’ve done so many other things.
“And, I wouldn’t have had such a varied career if I’d taken it. So, actually, for me, it worked out.”
The ‘Only Way is Essex’ voice-over star – who has 12-year-old daughter Betsy with her ex Lee Mead – emphasised the need for diversity in her work because of her ADHD, admitting she “gets bored very quickly, so I have to do different things”.
She said: “Variety is the main thing for me, because I have ADHD. So I do get bored very quickly. So, I just like to do different things.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

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