UK Gogglebox stars Denise van Outen and Eddie Boxshall split after cheating claims

A popular Celebrity Gogglebox couple in the UK have split after seven years, amid claims of phone sex and cheating.

UK television star Denise van Outen has ditched her co-star fiance after discovering he has been having phone sex and going on dates with other women.

The devastated singer and actress, 47, asked Eddie Boxshall – her partner of seven years – to leave the Essex home they are seen sharing on the popular program Celebrity Gogglebox, The Sun reports.

A source said: “It’s the very last thing she expected to happen. She thought this was forever, but while she has been out at work he’s been sat in her home betraying her trust.”

Denise was planning to tie the knot with Eddie this year.

But she asked him to leave their home after discovering he had been swapping raunchy messages and calls with women he met online, and hooking up with another woman for secret dates.

A source close to the popular couple said: “Denise is both ­furiously angry and utterly heartbroken. It’s the very last thing she expected to happen after she had been so happy with Eddie.”

The Gogglebox duo were engaged.

The source said devastated Denise, mum to daughter Betsy, 11, from her marriage to British theatre actor Lee Mead, can no longer see a future with Eddie, who has two grown-up children from a previous relationship.

They went on: “Their families are close, and they get on great with each other’s children. But the trust is totally shattered and she just doesn’t see a way back for their relationship.

“Eddie has moved out to stay with a friend nearby and he’s admitted to some of it already after being pushed for some answers. But Denise is determined to move on with her life.

“She’s angry and upset but she’s always worked hard to support herself and stand on her own two feet, so that’s what she’s determined to do again.”

Denise first began to suspect Eddie, 47, may have been unfaithful when industry rumours began to circulate about his closeness to other women.

After being asked about the allegations by The Sun, she confronted him and was shocked to learn the full extent of his behaviour.

“At first she found out there had been messages being swapped online, which upset her of course and she confronted him, though perhaps there could have been a way forward,” the source added.

“But when she scratched a bit further below the surface she found there was more to it, including trips into London to meet someone else. So it just felt like too much to patch up and gloss over. It’s a great shame. She feels she has always been very loyal and supportive of Eddie — but has been betrayed badly in return.”

Eddie Boxshall and Denise van Outen have split. Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Denise asked Eddie — dad to son Jordan, 25, and daughter Leah, 22, — to leave their home two months ago.

Her spokesman said: “Denise is understandably upset about the news, but she remains optimistic for the future. Her priority is looking after her daughter and continuing to work on the many exciting projects she has coming up this year.”

Stage-schooled performer Denise was initially a theatre actress before landing small parts in TV dramas including The Bill. But it was her co-hosting job on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast alongside Johnny Vaughan from 1997 which made her a household name.

She also had a high-profile relationship with funk rocker Jay Kay of Jamiroquai fame.

Denise went on to land major West End and Broadway musical roles, including the lead in ­Chicago. She also appeared as a judge on talent contests including Any Dream Will Do — where she would meet her first husband Lee.

Denise is a popular figure in the UK. Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images

More recently she has been the narrator of The Only Way Is Essex since its launch in 2010, and also starred as a contestant in reality shows including Strictly, Dancing On Ice and The Masked Singer.

In the Nineties she earned herself a reputation as a hard-partying “ladette” — though her lifestyle is now much more restrained.

She said: “I don’t go out now to get drunk but I think when I was younger we did. You’d go out with your mates with the purpose of just getting really drunk.

“But now when I go out I want to have a good conversation and I want to remember it the next day.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission