Denise van Outen spent 15 hours with a dislocated shoulder after injuring herself on Dancing on Ice because she ‘didn’t really want to bother the NHS’.
The 46-year-old actress and presenter was forced to bow out of the ITV ice dancing competition after her first routine when she took a tumble on the ice during rehearsals and ended up with three fractures and a dislocation in her shoulder.
And Denise has now revealed that she spent a painful 15 hours with her injury before finally deciding she needed hospital treatment, because she didn’t want to add to the strain the NHS is currently under amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Painful: Denise van Outen spent 15 hours with a dislocated shoulder after injuring herself on Dancing on Ice because she ‘didn’t really want to bother the NHS’. Pictured last month
Speaking during an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women, she said: ‘After the rehearsal I spent 15 hours with my shoulder being dislocated, because we didn’t really want to bother the NHS knowing that they’re so overstretched.
‘So it wasn’t until the pain was so unbearable that they advised I went in to see them. They put my shoulder back in but it popped out again, and then I skated on it in the most excruciating pain I cannot tell you.
‘After that, I had an MRI, and it was fractured in three parts. So I’ve got three fractures and a dislocation.’
Despite her injuries, Denise and her professional partner Matt Evers still took to the ice last month for their first – and only – routine of the series.
Fracture: The star, 46, was forced to bow out of the ITV show after her first routine when she took a tumble on the ice during rehearsals. Seen with skating partner Matt Evers
And the blonde beauty has confessed she pushed through her routine because she didn’t want to let anybody down, especially her 10-year-old daughter, Betsy.
When asked how she coped with skating on her injured shoulder, she said: ‘I don’t really know myself how I did it. I’m a bit of an old school theatre entertainer, I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid… not the ice skating, evidently.
‘But I just took a deep breath, I had to grit my teeth, but I think there was a number of reasons why I wanted to [carry on].
‘First of all, Matt, my lovely skate partner, had been working so hard with me because I’d never skated before, and I’d just built my confidence up to do the skating, and I didn’t want to let him down.
Routine: Despite her injuries, Denise and her professional partner Matt still took to the ice last month for their first – and only – routine of the series
‘And also, my daughter. I knew she’d be watching, and I thought she’d be so upset if she doesn’t see Mummy go out and do her first skate. I just wanted to get on with it. I’m very much a “the show must go on” sort of person.’
And when her injury is healed, Denise would love to be invited back to take part in the 2022 series of the show, because she doesn’t want to give up skating.
She said: ‘I’d like to go back. I mean, I’d like to get on the ice again. It’s a bit like falling off a bike when you’re a kid, you have to get back on the bike to lose the fear.
‘And I was so scared of ice before, I’ve never skated before in my life, and I’ve just got my confidence with it. So the fact that I’ve had an injury, I don’t want it to put me off.’
During her appearance on the lunchtime show, Denise was also asked to address rumours she’s on the verge of tying the knot with her partner, Eddie Boxshall.
Natural performer: Denise recently revealed plans to release a new song, for the first time in nearly two decades
Smiling coyly, she went on to reveal: ‘We are going to get married. We have talked about it. We haven’t set a date yet as we’d like to do it when we’re out of lockdown.
‘We want all of our friends and family around us. So we will get married at some point, but there’s no date set just yet, so you don’t need to get a hat just yet.’
Last week, Denise revealed plans to release a new single, for the first time in nearly two decades, after planning to sing the song on the skating show before her untimely departure.
The West End star hopes to become a chart-topper with a cover of On My Own, from the musical Les Misérables, in hopes of raising money for the theatre charity, Make A Difference Trust.
Centre stage: The release – to raise money for the charity, Make A Difference Trust – marks her first solo track since her album, Tell Me On A Sunday, in 2003 (pictured in 2007)
The release marks her first solo track since her album, Tell Me On A Sunday, in 2003.
Speaking about her new song, Denise said in a press release: ‘This is what I was going to sing live on Dancing On Ice on musicals week.
‘When I had to drop out I decided to release my own version to raise money for theatre professionals out of work and highlight how difficult it has been for the industry in the pandemic.
‘Les Misérables is the first West End musical I performed in when I was just 11 years old, so this song has always been very special to me.’
Her record was produced by musician Steve Anderson who has previously worked with Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and Westlife, to name a few. She also confirmed her plans to release an album in the future.
Wedding plans: Elsewhere in her Loose Women interview, the star discussed her plans to tie the knot with partner Eddie Boxshall once the pandemic is over. Pictured together in 2020