'They remain the best of friends and Betsy is their number one priority': Denise Van Outen and Lee Mead confirm their split after four years of marriage
By SARAH FITZMAURICE and LOUISE SAUNDERS
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Denise Van Outen and Lee Mead have called time on their marriage after four years together.
After months of speculation surrounding their relationship, the couple have confirmed they have parted ways - but the welfare of their three-year-old daughter Betsy remains their 'number one priority.
In a statement given to MailOnline, Denise's spokesperson said: 'Denise Van Outen and Lee Mead are sad to confirm they have decided to separate.
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All over: Denise Van Outen has split from Lee Mead, according to reports
'The couple remain the best of friends, with their daughter Betsy as their number one priority. The family ask for privacy at this time.'
The couple, who have been dogged by rumours of marital trouble for months, split shortly after Lee returned home from the US in May and the actor has moved out of their London home, according to The Sun on Sunday.
Denise and Lee were last pictured together just last weekend when they attended Tickety Toc launch at Hamleys toy store with little Betsy on July 21.
Smiling happily for the cameras, the trio looked every inch the picture perfect family, not displaying a hint of their apparent marital problems.
Last appearance: Lee and Denise were seen together last weekend at a toy launch with their daughter Betsy
In the past few months, the pair have rarely been seen together thanks to their difficult work schedules and it's this separation which was the catalyst for the split, according to reports.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: 'They're going their separate ways. It's very sad but they have grown apart.
'They hardly saw each other over the last nine months because of their work commitments. The distance just became too difficult to overcome. They have grown apart - and fallen out of love.'
Denise and Lee met in 2007 when he was a contestant on the BBC show Any Dream Will Do.
In happier times: The pair wed in a romantic ceremony in the Seychelles in 2009
The Essex girl was a judge on the show, which Lee went on to win, and the pair later revealed their relationship.
The couple wed in an intimate ceremony in the Seychelles in 2009, with just 12 guests present. Shortly after their wedding the pair revealed they were expecting their first child together.
Although the couple have denied they were splitting several times in recent months, they have spent little time together. While Lee has been pursuing a career in the US, Denise was busy working on Strictly Come Dancing in the UK.
The blonde has also enjoyed six holidays in the past nine months enjoying trips to Mallorca, Ibiza and Dubai without Lee.
In 2007: The pair announced they were dating after Lee appeared as a contestant on Any Dream Will Do
But in April, the star defended the couple's marriage during an appearance on ITV1's Daybreak, explaining the couple spend time apart because they don't have a nanny to look after their daughter, Betsy.
She said: 'There's always speculation. Just to set the record straight, we don't have a nanny, so we split our parenting duties, so we do spend time apart.
'If we had a nanny and we went away all the time together then people would critcise us for not taking our child with us. Betsy's in nursery, do you know what I mean? It'll all blow over, tomorrow's chip paper.
'You need a break sometimes. It's like, four days. I wouldn't mind if I'd gone for three weeks or something.'
Moving on: Denise didn't appear to be too down in the dumps as she left her Magic 105.4 FM radio show in central London on Saturday evening
And just last month, Lee gushed to the Mail over the couple's seemingly flawless marriage.
He said: 'Nothing would ever come above Betsy and Denise, because nothing’s more important than my family.
'Denise and I work really hard in our careers and sometimes it does mean we spend time apart. For us, it’s very important to be your own people, do what you love and be great parents but it’s also good to have time apart.
'To have to be there 24/7 is too needy for us. It’s right and normal for us to have time as a family together but also to have holidays with our friends. I know not everyone does that, but we’re all different.’
Denise was previously engaged to Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay but the pair split in 2001.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2380238/Denise-Van-Outen-Lee-Mead-confirm-split-years-marriage.html#ixzz2aL5IHb1T
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