Denise Van Outen reveals why she ended her 23-year feud with Big Breakfast co-star Johnny Vaughan after pair fell out over money issues

Denise Van Outen has revealed why she ended her 23-year feud with her ex-Big Breakfast co-star Johnny Vaughan.

The pair fronted the hit Channel 4 show in the ’90s, and their dynamic presenting partnership proved a massive draw for viewers and celebrities.

But their off-screen friendship soured when Denise discovered Johnny had been renegotiating his contract without telling her, which ultimately caused the presenter to quit the series.

The move sparked a decades-long feud until they patched things up in 2021 and made their first TV appearance in 20 years on Steph's Packed Lunch in June 2023.

Now, as they have reunited once again as a duo on Celebrity Gogglebox, Denise has lifted the lid on why they have decided to put their fallout in the past.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, she said: 'I think we realise how much we value our friendship. 

'The funny thing is, because we did have that little spell of not really, we never [did] not speak.

'There was no big argument, but we sort of drifted away from each other.

'And I think then when you reconnect, and plus the fact that we're older, you realise that there's just a real love there.

'Like, we just had, we had such a lovely experience together when we worked together in the 90s, and now there's a real respect and love there that's just.

'It's unbreakable really, because it's a bond that you have, you know.

'And it's just lovely, and I love being around him, he's he's bonkers but just really fun, 100 miles an hour, but he just makes me laugh so much.'

'Yeah, we really want to be doing something else together, and we created a couple of ideas, so hopefully we get off the ground at some point,' she teased.

When asked what it was like to be on screen together again, she gushed: 'I think what it just reaffirmed for me is just how well we are together when we're together, because we just bounce off each other.

'And it's not something that you can create or it just, it's just how it is. We just, we just have a good fit like that.' 

Denise addressed the past tensions in an interview with Loose Women back in 2017.

She revealed at the time: 'The whole relationship fell apart when we started to renegotiate our contracts because I always felt we worked together as a team and that’s how it should be. We created it together.

'Not just us but the rest of the team working on the show. I always had that mentality that it was about all of us. But Johnny and I know there are other influences involved, and agents and everything — but he was negotiating separately from me.

'I found out and obviously confronted him and I realised then at that point that our friendship had gone in two different directions and for me it was tarnished. That’s why I left the show because I knew at that point that it would never be the same.'

The Chicago star confirmed they parted ways due to money.

Denise said: 'It was mainly to do with pay and a few other things. I think the view was that I had money coming in from acting on the side.

'I loved him so much and I still do. When I see him now, he makes me laugh so much. I forget about it. But I don't know if it would ever be the same...'

Johnny previously told The Sun: 'You can't just have two people doing it, as we've seen from other male-female double acts doing daytime TV who seem to get along well, you also need a non-toxic team as well'.

He clarified that he 'wasn't having a dig at anyone' before saying that it was everyone who was working on the Big Breakfast, in front and behind the camera, 'who made it [what it was]'.

He then discussed his 'ups and downs' with pal Denise saying: 'You can only fall out with someone you really like, you don't fall out with people you don't like. And that's the way of friendship'.

'There's been a couple of ups and downs. But that's because it's a real, genuine friendship.'

Elsewhere, Denise is returning as Marella Cruises’ Chief Chill-Out Officer to encourage Brits to truly lean into laziness while on holiday.

New research has revealed that 80% of Brits feel guilty about things they really shouldn’t - including taking time to properly relax.

Denise is helping the nation embrace guilt-free downtime and make relaxation a priority.

When asked why she wanted to get involved in the campaign for a 2nd year, she said: 'It's nice to do something a little bit different in my career.

'It's basically my job to help passengers on board to lean into being lazy and just have a really nice holiday experience.

'So, it's all about making sure that the passengers, from the minute they actually book their trip, don't have to worry about anything, and everything is taken care of.'

To help guests embrace guilt-free downtime, Marella Cruises has launched the world-first PJkini - a stylish hybrid outfit that takes holidaymakers seamlessly from cabin to pool to restaurant, eliminating decision fatigue and making relaxation effortless.

'It's just basically an outfit that allows you to just completely relax but still look stylish, so you can walk around the ship and not feel self-conscious, you know,' she explained.

'When we created it together, the team, we were like, let's make sure, we don't want anything that's too revealing and it needs to be comfortable.

'So it's obviously that nice fabric that if it gets wet, it dries nice and quickly.'

With such a busy career, Denise ensures she makes time for herself to relax. 

'I'm more careful about planning having breaks cos I've actually realised the value in sitting away from everything and doing nothing.

'And the value of a holiday and actually taking time out is just a great mental reset and physical reset.

'I sometimes don't always realise how busy you've been until you stop. I think that's the thing, that happens with me quite a lot.'

As returning Chief Chill-Out Officer, Denise van Outen is back to inspire cruise-curious travellers to adopt lazy hacks and embrace the Marella Cruises lifestyle. 

Discover the world’s first PJkini and more ways to embrace guilt-free relaxation by visiting www.tui.co.uk/cruise/.