BBC Strictly's Tamzin Outhwaite's huge TV star ex and why she's feeling 'older and braver'
Tamzin Outhwaite, famed for her role as Mel Owen in EastEnders, is gracing our screens on Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special on Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25). The 54-year-old actress is partnered up with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin for the special episode.
The actress first became a household name through the soap opera, with her character experiencing tumultuous romantic escapades with Ian Beale, Steve Owen, Phil Mitchell as well as Dan Sullivan. Off the screen, Tamzin found love with Welsh actor Tom Ellis, who also appeared on EastEnders as Doctor Oliver Cousins in 2006 before going on to be a comedy favourite in BBC sitcom, Miranda.
Now however, he is known for his lead role in the US fantasty series Lucifer, which you can stream on Netflix and was a favourite as Robin Hood in Once Upon a Time. The Cardiff-born actor and Tamzin got together after being introduced by their mutual friend, actor James McAvoy. They then tied the knot in 2006 in Somerset and have two daughters, Marnie and Florence.
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Their marriage ended in 2014, shortly after Marnie's first birthday, following Tom's admission of a one-night stand. Post-divorce, Tamzin suggested that there was more to their split than just a single indiscretion, telling Essentials magazine: "I wouldn't not be with my husband over a one-night stand is all I'll say."
Last year she shared in a, now deleted post on X, "Ten years since the father of my kids walked out on us for the final time," she wrote in a now-deleted post on X. "I still meet new people on jobs who reveal more infidelities & lies that he committed. But thankfully my heart and soul are clear & clean & I could not be happier right now. #Gratitude."
Tamzin then found love with actor and documentary filmmaker Tom Child, who was 20 years her junior. The two got together in 2018, however, it was recently revealed that the couple broke up this year. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
In a recent interview, the actress revealed she felt content in the current chapter of her life. She said: "I’m happy single." She continued: "There's a lot on! Life is really busy, throwing a relationship into that is a whole other thing. Freedom fills up my cup, freedom to do as you please is a lovely thing. That makes me happy."
Ahead of her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, she said she was finally taking the plunge and participating in the dancing show because she was now feeling "older and braver". The actress revealed that her busy work schedule had stopped her accepting Strictly calls while she was in her 30s and 40s, but that she had also waited "until [she] was properly old and do it".
After EastEnders, Tamzin secured roles in ITV's The Fixer, BBC's sci-fi crime series Paradox, and comedy-drama New Trick. In 2021, she participated in The Masked Dancer as Scarecrow, reaching the final and placing fourth. She also featured in Ridley Road last year and made a guest appearance in Death in Paradise in 2022. This year she starred ibnb Channel 5 drama, The Wives
