Denise van Outen has told that the heartbreak following her split with former boyfriend Eddie Boxshall, who admitted to cheating, was so agonising that she attended therapy for the first time in her life.
In a chat with Fearne Cotton on the "Happy Place" podcast released on June 6, Denise, aged 48, recalled the painful decision to be completely honest with her young daughter Betsy, 11, about the breakup, which occurred in January.
She then praised Betsy's father, Lee Mead, who she described as a good friend, Hull Live reports.
Denise, who dated Eddie for six years and filmed Celebrity Gogglebox with him, detailed the effect it had had on Betsy, stating: "It is hard but even with my most recent break-up I thought I need to be honest with her because she is coming up to 12 and kids have phones now and they go to school where they can read things, hear things, so I did have to be completely honest with her.
"And actually I wanted to be honest with her. I think it's important with kids to have that honesty. But what is really great is, even though all of it, she has got that solid foundation, she's got her dad.
"She has always got that constant in her life so actually it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be – it's still horrible. It's still heartbreaking to talk to your child about that but, at the same time, she has got an amazing father."
Denise admitted she had "held back" from telling her daughter some of the painful details.
"There have been moments when I've been really upset and you don't want your child to see you upset because it's a horrible thing," Denise explained. "At the same time, she does need to know and I can't just brush everything under the carpet."
Denise then said her biggest worry is Betsy growing up believing "all relationships fail". The singer said she fears her daughter might go into relationships "not with an open heart" and feels responsible for it.
Confessing she still didn't feel "completely healed" since the January split, Denise added: "I'm getting there and for the first time in my life I'm doing therapy, which I've never done before."
Denise admitted "everything that happened floored me, literally floored me," and she realised she needed help.
Praising the therapy, Denise said: "I'm really enjoying it and I'm learning so much about myself." Looking forward, Denise said she was aiming to be the "best person I can be" for her next relationship and also as a mother.
You can listen to Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast here.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
