Holly Willoughby has a surprising connection to a former Eastenders star.
The This Morning star left viewers gobsmacked last year, after revealing she is related to Tamzin Outhwaite through marriage. The actress - best known for playing Mel Owen in the BBC soap - appeared on the sofa in September 2021, and the conversation quickly turned to The Masked Dancer, which Tamzin competed in.
Tamzin danced as Scarecrow on the hit competition, with Holly appearing as a guest detective during the episode she was unmasked. Holly couldn't believe that she didn't work out it was a member of her own family and clapped her hands over her face in disbelief.
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On This Morning, Holly told her: "I loved you so much in that. I clearly didn’t guess who you were, which is slightly embarrassing bearing in mind we are practically related." A cheery Tamzin responded: "That’s all right!"
The pair are actually related through marriage - with Holly calling Tamzin her cousin in the past. Tamzin is a blood relative of Holly's TV producer husband Dan Baldwin.
At Christmas 2017 Holly posted a picture of the pair of them together and called Tamzin her cousin. She wrote: "Me and @glamzin and our Nonna Matriarch! In true #eastendersstyle... faaaaamly! Xxx FYI.., @glamzin is my cousin." [sic]
Tamzin starred in EastEnders from 1998 until 2002, and quit the soap shortly after her on-screen husband Steve Owen’s death. She later returned in 2017 and has gone on to be involved in plenty of hard-hitting storylines.
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