Denise van Outen has revealed she was once told she would never make it in TV.
The much-loved telly star said she actually had a career lined up to become a popstar as a teenager.
But she pulled out of a record deal and huge tour with big name acts in the Nineties to follow her dream of being a TV presenter.
Speaking on Channel 4 ’s Steph’s Packed Lunch, Denise was asked if she had ever made any decisions in her life which surprised people.
“When I was about 18/19 I was actually locked into quite a big record deal,” the now 47-year-old shared.
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She continued: “At the time, I went to my label and I said to them, ‘I don’t think this is working’.
“We had so many things lined up, like a huge music tour to do with lots of other well-known bands.
“They told me I would be crazy to leave this, but I wanted to be a TV presenter.
“They actually said to me – ‘you won’t ever make it in TV.’”
Steph jumped in: “That worked out alright didn’t it! Were you scared of making that decision?”
Denise replied: “Well, yeah I was. I was also so sure about what I wanted to do, but when you know, you just go for it. You trust your instincts, and it turned out luckily for me to be the right choice.”
Of course, Denise went on to prove the haters wrong and has been on our telly screens ever since.
She got her big break in 1996 as a travel reporter and weather girl on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast.
A year into the role she was promoted to main presenter, co-hosting the popular show alongside Johnny Vaughan.
The cheeky banter between Denise and Johnny saw ratings soar and she presented the show on and off until 2000.
She teamed up with Johnny again in 2004 to host BBC Saturday night show Passport to Paradise, and co-hosted This Morning alongside Richard Bacon.
A West End star in her own right, Denise was also asked to be a panellist on How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? to find a girl to play Maria in The Sound of Music.
After a presenting stint in the US, Denise returned to the UK and went on to have a number of TV acting roles before being signed up to present the Capital Radio Breakfast Show alongside Johnny.
These days, she is best known for doing the voiceover for reality TV show, The Only Way Is Essex and starring on Celebrity Gogglebox.
She also recently released her autobiography, A Bit of Me: From Basildon to Broadway, and Back.
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