With a loving younger man (Lee Mead) and presenting on Capital Radio, I'd Do Anything and the upcoming Who Dares, Sings! it's a wonder Denise Van Outen had time to sit down with Cosmopolitan magazine for a chat!

She waxes lyrical on love, life and being labelled a "ladette" in the July issue, here's a few extracts:

• On everlasting love: “A couple of my friends who are married, or in long-term relationships, have said to me, ‘It’s just not working’ … or ‘We’re not having as much sex as we used to’ … And I’m like, ‘But these are the things that happen in every relationship!’ To me, [sex] is there to be enjoyed – and I’ve enjoyed it! And I can’t say I’ve learnt anything from it because I knew it all already.”
• On being hard to handle: “There have been times where I’ve been too much to handle for the men in my life. In fact, some of my previous relationships have ended because I haven’t been needy enough … It’s all too easy to attack WAGs for being gold-diggers but, believe me, there are plenty of men who need that type of girl. Personally though, a man in his twenties works for me. In my experience, single men in their mid-to-late thirties tend to be single for a reason. The good ones get snapped up.”
• On the life lessons she's learned: “Appreciate everything you have now. I [once] did a one-woman show called Tell Me On A Sunday in the West End for two years, which was written for me by Andrew Lloyd Webber. And you know what’s funny? Right now, I’d kill to go back and do that again – but, at the time, it was just work. It taught me that I should learn to love the here and now because in a couple of years I’m going to look back on it as the best time of my life.”

For more from Denise on being labelled a 'ladette', using her looks and what classic track cheers her up, just read more

• On the 'ladette' label she was given: “Looking back at my ‘ladette’ label in the late ‘90s makes me laugh – because I’m the least laddy person I know! … It took a while to shake it off but I’m living proof that you can change your image. I went from flashing my boobs at Prince Charles to being a serious stage actress – and now I’m a judge for Andrew Lloyd Webber!”
• On using her looks: “Being a woman has never held me back. In fact, sometimes, it’s helped – we’d be lying if we said we’d ever used our looks to benefit us. I’ve been asked if I think the reason why Davina McCall’s show flopped was because she was a woman – and the answer is no! Look at Caroline Aherne ... Instead, I think the format was wrong. Davina is a very spontaneous presenter, but her show was very scripted.”
• On classic tunes: “True confidence comes from knowing exactly what you do – and don’t – want out of life. For me, that came with age … Now, I know how to make myself happy – like if I’m in a bad mood, I’ll stick on "I’m In The Mood For Dancing" by The Nolans and dance around my flat.”

Read the rest of the lovely Denise's interview in the July issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, on sale now.