Tamzin Outhwaite says something in her head has “changed” and, at 51, the actress and mother of two is throwing the kitchen sink at her health. She’s given up booze, does yoga and gets outdoors, meditates regularly, eats well and is a big fan of breath work. She says it feels empowering.
“I’ve come to realise I can be a better, fitter, stronger version of myself,” says the star who became a household name in EastEnders.
“I can look after myself better, which means I can look after other people better. I can push myself to wider limits and come out of my comfort zone – and that realisation is quite empowering.”
Tamzin puts her health overhaul in part down to her experience with perimenopause, but a huge catalyst for change came earlier this year after filming the BBC One show Freeze the Fear with ‘ice man’ Wim Hoff.
“It really changed something in my head,” says Tamzin, who was one of eight celebrities to take part. As well as extreme yoga suspended 100ft above a frozen waterfall, the intrepid stars faced their fears when they swam 20ft under a frozen lake. And while she hasn’t quite kept up that level of intensity, actress Tamzin has certainly held on to some of the lessons she learned.
“I’ve done a lot since the show,” she says. “The breath work, cold showers every day. I love all of it, and I like myself at the moment, which can only be a good thing.”
And while taking part in such a physically gruelling series would have been challenging for all involved, for Tamzin there was an added layer of concern. Because, says the star, in the back of her mind were fears shock from the extreme cold could kill her, after her mother Anna died suddenly from an aneurysm in 2018.
“You do have that moment of jumping into ice-cold water, and thinking, is the shock going to do that?” she says. “But it’s quite the reverse – cold water is actually wonderful for your cardiovascular system. I think we’re all kind of conditioned like that, like you’re going to have a heart attack with the shock of something like that, and because of what happened to my mum I did feel a bit like it could be a reality.”
But, says Tamzin, she quickly learned about the huge benefits of cold therapy, and explains that techniques she learned during the show, breath work in particular, have stayed with her.
“I’m not a panicky person,” she says. “I don’t suffer much with anxiety, but now I’ve got these tools to deal with things like that. I used to love meditating and doing yoga, but now I’ve got the breath work too and I know all those things can keep me calm.”
The star’s recent decision to give up alcohol wasn’t the first time she’d quit drinking, having done liver cleanses before and had a month off the booze here and there. This time, though, she’s hoping to carry on a bit longer.
“I’m not very good at just having a glass, so I’d rather not have any,” says Tamzin. “When I started perimenopause I’d have two glasses and be on the floor.
“My resistance has completely changed and I don’t really enjoy it any more. It’s not serving me very well, so I’ve just decided to stop. I had my last drink in August when I was at a festival, which was great, but two days of drinking wasn’t.
“I’ve always been one of those people who can happily go without, but then I’ll have one night and blow it. Now I want to be more stable about everything.
“When you don’t drink you don’t have so many ups and downs mood-wise. I prefer my physicality and I’m getting a lot done. I’m doing more exercise, not eating rubbish food the day after and when I’m seeing friends we’re getting a coffee or having a swim and a walk.
“To be honest I haven’t missed it for one moment and I’ve a feeling I’ll try to continue. I’m saying month by month. I’m feeling really good for it, and if I can keep it up until Christmas, I’ll be a happy woman.”
With her 52nd birthday just weeks away, Tamzin welcomes the increasingly open conversations around menopause and perimenopause. “I take supplements every day and I’m on a small dose of HRT,” she says. “I’m glad there’s more information available than there used to be, because this is obviously a huge part of people’s lives, and not an easy one. It’s the classic Shirley Valentine, getting on a boat and going off to a Greek island.
“Now if you’re feeling a bit crazy at least we understand we’re that way for a reason. In the old days people used to say, ‘Oh yeah, she hit 50 and went a bit funny’.
“My mum was a very chilled-out woman, but there was a really short period when she’d say, ‘I’m not everybody’s slave!’
“It’s difficult but being open about it helps.”
Tamzin hopes her new show, comedy mystery Murder, They Hope, will bring a welcome dose of escapism to our screen and thinks the laughs are just the tonic people need.
“At the moment I think most of us could do with watching some silly, superbly written comedy that lifts the spirits and makes you chuckle, so this is well timed and well needed.
“When it comes to feeling good, I’m chucking everything at it. There was a time when I started experiencing perimenopausal symptoms, put on weight and didn’t quite feel like myself. But now I’m feeling back. That’s a good place to be.”
Murder, They Hope is on Gold on Mondays at 9pm, from Monday
