Denise van Outen said she turned down the role of hosting Strictly Come Dancing because she felt it sounded too boring.
The television presenter spoke candidly about being asked to host the BBC ballroom competition, Strictly Come Dancing. Denise joined The Matt Haycox Show where she was asked whether or not she has any career regrets. Speaking honestly about a conversation she had with the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, the 48-year-old said she'll forever regret letting Strictly slip through her fingers.
She said: "When they first came up with the idea, I was offered Strictly Come Dancing. I knew Bruce Forsyth really well and I've done a few shows with him. We used to sing together. [Bruce] came to me and approached me to be a sidekick in the new Strictly Come Dancing.
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing's 2022 rumoured line-up may make the biggest series ever
“He said to me, ‘There's this show, it's all ballroom, it's gonna be celebrities’. And he said, 'I want to open the show with a song and dance with you, and close it with you' - because he knew that I danced and sang."
Blunt with her thoughts on the proposal, Denise instantly shot the idea down. She added: "I remember sitting there and I went to him ‘Bruce, it sounds really boring!’ So, they gave it to Tess Daly. Then it became a huge hit, and I was thinking maybe I was an idiot turning that down."
Tess Daley was Bruce's co-host and following his death in 2017, Claudia Winkelman stepped in as Tess' co-presenter.
Denise went on to compliment how good a job Tess has done in her stead as she added: “But, actually, when I look back, Tess has done it so well for many years, but just kind of does that, and she's associated with it. Whereas I went on to do Broadway, I've done film, I've done theatre in the West End - I've done so many other things.
"And, I wouldn't have had such a varied career if I’d taken it. So, actually, for me, it worked out."
READ NEXT
Coronation Street fans spot familiar face as new character 'rises from the dead'
Strictly Come Dancing's 2022 rumoured line-up may make the biggest series ever
Netflix Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown swoons over Liverpudlian trait
Stacey Solomon wedding announcement leaves Joe Swash in disbelief
GMB's Susanna Reid's 'excellent' weight loss tip as she shares 'hard' admission
Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here
