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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

Denise Van Outen goes Instagram official with new man in cute couple selfie

Denise Van Outen has gone Instagram official with her new beau, eight months after her heartbreaking split from her cheating ex fiance Eddie Boxshall.

The Celebrity Gogglebox star, 48, went public with property developer Jimmy Barba at the 12th annual Grand Prix Ball on Wednesday (June 29) after the pair were reportedly set up by their mutual pal, All Saints singer Shaznay Lewis.

Taking to social media the next morning, the mum-of-one was flooded with supportive comments from celebrity pals and fans as she introduced her new boyfriend to her 667,000 Instagram followers.

In the collection of shots, Denise can be seen beaming alongside hunky Jimmy as they enjoyed the swanky bash amongst other pals and guests.

Denise Van Outen is seemingly no longer a single lady (Instagram/ @vanouten_denise)
The star has made things Instagram official with new beau Jimmy Barba (Instagram/ @vanouten_denise)

The former West End star wowed in a gold sequined dress featuring a fitted bodice detail and sheer panel which showed off her legs, while Jimmy cut a dapper figure in a black tuxedo complete with a white shirt and cute dickie bow.

Denise didn't explicitly mention her handsome plus-one in her Instagram caption on Thursday - instead tagging her glam squad - but her famous friends made sure to give her new beau a shout out.

"Oh wow!!! @jimmybarba !! [love-heart eyes emoji]xx," All Saints songstress Nicole Appleton gushed in the comments, with her sister Natalie Appleton adding: "Woohoo yass!! [multiple love-related emojis]."

Jimmy and Denise complimented each other's style as they made their red carpet debut (REX/Shutterstock)
The theatre star shared a series on sweet unseen snaps to her Instagram page the following day (Instagram/ @vanouten_denise)

"Ahhh, the lovely @jimmybarba. Love this Den," former X Factor host Kate Thornton declared underneath's Denise's first post involving her new man.

Despite seemingly being a familiar face to Denise's showbiz pals already, not much is known about Jimmy other than the fact he owns Whiteditch Lane Development LTD and is an Arsenal FC supporter.

It's also believed that the property mogul like Denise has a young daughter, and once appeared on the Italian version of Big Brothe r.

The new lovebirds appeared to be having fun together at the swanky event (REX/Shutterstock)

"It's early days but everything is going really well and Denise is happy," a source close to the new couple has told the Daily Mail when discussing their blossoming relationship.

Denise's new-found happiness comes following her heartbreaking split from her ex-fiancé Eddie earlier this year, following a cheating scandal.

The former Big Breakfast presenter detailed the break-up in her autobiography A Bit Of Me: From Basildon To Broadway And Back. She said she had noticed "red flags" after finding photos of a woman's breasts on his iPad.

She wrote: "Among photos was a screenshot…of a woman’s breasts – and they definitely weren’t mine! Also, there was a flirty text exchange between Eddie and this woman, which, of course, set off alarm bells."

She said she also found Instagram messages alluding to phone sex with a third woman.

The TV legend added that she was in shock after finding out Eddie had cheated and said: "I’d thought we had the perfect life. Any relationship has to be built on trust and once that’s gone, there’s no way forward.

Eddie admitted in May to swapping up to 20 sex texts behind her back. He said: "I hurt ­Denise, I broke her trust and I’m deeply sorry."

Earlier this month Denise revealed to pal Fearne Cotton that she was having therapy for the first time in her life following the ordeal.

Opening up about her reasons for therapy on Fearne's podcast Happy Place, Denise admitted she is "trying to work through" trusting partners again following calling off her wedding.

She added: "This is what I was really concerned about.

"I’ve always gone into any relationship with a massively open heart because I just always think that people are going to be honest and loyal because that’s how I approach everything, and you start to realise that we’re not all the same."

"I think it will be a little bit of an issue but it’s just something that I’m going to have to work through."

In the same podcast chat, Denise praised ex-husband Lee Mead for being someone she can healthily co-parent their 12-year-old daughter Betsy with and admitted been on dating apps following her split from Eddie.

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