Denise Van Outen on how ADHD affects her relationship with partner Eddie Boxshall
Denise Van Outen has been nicknamed the Tasmanian Devil by her partner Eddie Boxshall, but her whirlwind attitude to life is in fact largely due to having a neurological condition.
Van Outen realised she had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) when her daughter Betsy was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Talking to the Belfast Telegraph back in 2019, the West End star said: "I've definitely got a strand of ADHD, I've realised, and that's why I'm good at doing live stuff and stuff where it's different all the time.”
On an episode of her podcast Before We Say I Do, where she and Boxshall try out different types of relationship therapy, her fast-paced attitude towards life was brought up by psychoenergetic therapist Mark Johnstone.
Psychoenergetics combines more traditional treatment with energy healing and attempts to unlock deep-layer unconscious content.
Watch: Denise and Eddie have their chakras analysed!
While accessing Van Outen’s unconscious state, Johnstone saw “a whirlpool” of energy, something which Van Outen readily sees in herself.
“It would be very relevant to me in terms of it's kind of never ending,” she admitted.
“I'm always doing things — I've got a million things going on — and maybe that would be a reflection of me as a person and how I operate.”
Read more: Denise Van Outen pens autobiography in lockdown
Her partner of seven years Boxshall, said the whirlpool analogy totally gelled with how he saw his other half, who he also compared to a tornado!
“She comes in and she's swirling around,” he laughed.
Listen: Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall experience psychoenergetic therapy
“She's a bit like the Tasmanian Devil. Remember the cartoon? The little thing that spins around. She's in and she's out and she's forever circulating at 200 miles an hour!”
Van Outen’s full-on attitude to life had her compared to an octopus by psychosexual therapist Cate Mackenzie in the first episode of their podcast, with Boxshall likened to a turtle, with a need for a slower pace of life.
“The turtle often requires a lot more slowing down - a lot more pootle time, if you like,” explained Mackenzie.
Read more: Denise Van Outen opens up about her love life: 'I’ve let work take over my relationship'
While Van Outen admits she struggles to sit still and finds Boxshall’s slower approach annoying at times, she did say the former city trader has taught her to try and follow his lead when it comes to knee-jerk reactions.
“If something annoys me, I get riled up and angry very quickly and I react when sometimes I should sit back on things and just sleep on it,” she admitted.
She continued: “I'm learning from Eddie not to react straight away. Eddie's taught me to try not to be like that and to try and just sort of sit back.”
While it’s taken Boxshall seven years to get her onboard with his way of seeing things, it’s also made him realise that while the pair are quite different, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“I always thought I was like Denise until I met Denise!” exclaimed Boxshall.
He continued: “When I met Denise, I realised that I'm not actually that hyperactive and that chaotic in terms of my energy and going 100 miles an hour! She's made me realise I'm actually more of a laid-back kind of guy that does sit back and review things. She's actually made me realise that I'm a different person – and I quite like myself better for it as well!”
Hear Denise Van Outen and Eddie Boxshall try out six different types of relationship therapy in their podcast series Before We Say I Do. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Watch: Eddie Boxshall talks about how his stubbornness has affected his relationship with Denise Van Outen
