Denise Van Outen says preparing for musical’s return has been ‘lovely’

Denise Van Outen said it has been “lovely” to get back to acting as she prepares for the return of her one-woman show.

The 46-year-old is to star in a livestreamed performance of Some Girl I Used To Know, which she co-wrote with Terry Ronald.

The musical, which will be streamed next month, has been directed by actress Tamzin Outhwaite.

Van Outen told the PA news agency: “It was so lovely actually to get into doing some acting and some singing and also to work with Tamzin as well, because Tamzin, like me, has been just as frustrated about how the arts has really suffered.”

She added that it was good to “be in a work environment doing what we love” despite the pandemic.

Van Outen said people in the theatre industry have been “twiddling our thumbs for a year”.

Some Girl I Used To Know tells the story of Stephanie, a successful lingerie designer who wrestles with a romantic dilemma while she is alone in a luxury hotel room.

It originally debuted in the West End in 2014.

Van Outen said she wanted to film the play “in the environment it’s meant to be in”, adding: “Rather than going to an empty theatre, which was just me on the stage, which would have felt very echoey, we thought why don’t we actually keep it as intimate as possible.”

The performance is raising money for the Make A Difference Trust, which has been supporting workers in entertainment industries during the coronavirus pandemic.

In January, Van Outen had to withdraw from ITV celebrity skating competition Dancing On Ice after she partially dislocated her shoulder.

“I won’t be stepping on to the ice any time soon, that’s for sure. It hasn’t healed yet,” she said.

She added: “It’s sore but it’s getting better every day.”

– Some Girl I Used To Know will run from April 2 to 5 and tickets cost £10 from https://www.somegirl.co.uk/