Former ladette Denise Van Outen reckons smartphones have killed the fun of the hedonistic ’90s as revellers’ antics are now being recorded instead of remembered.
The 50-year-old actress and telly host made her name as one of the ballsiest women on TV more than a quarter of a century ago – partying with the likes of Sara Cox and Zoe Ball.
But the mum-of-one is now lamenting the loss of the ‘Cool Britannia’ decade – and blames the likes of Apple for sucking the joy out of life.She blasted: “We never had access to everything on our smartphone. So, you’d go out and you’d just be in the moment and really enjoy it.
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“I remember going to the big festivals like Glastonbury and Reading and you wouldn’t have your phone with you, you wouldn’t be videoing anything.
(Image: PA)
“You’d just be enjoying it. I think that’s why people have a lot of fond memories of that time… there was also a lot of really fun TV then.
“It was a real decade of just a lot of fun.”
Denise added she only tolerates social media for professional plugs – and steers clear from trolls.
She said: “Obviously the industry I’m in, there is a requirement for it, and I enjoy it, but I use it in a positive way.
“I don’t actually read a lot of the comments – you know, if you get trolled and things like that, I just never take any notice of it.
“I think because I had the luxury of growing up without it, I’m not that bothered by it.
“It doesn’t mean anything to me if I’ve got a certain amount of likes, or if I haven’t – I don’t care. But I can see how it affects younger people.
“And I think we’re gradually getting to a stage where a lot of people… for example, if you’re going to a party – they’re putting on invites that it’s a ‘No phone policy’.
(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
“I think people are starting to see now that smartphones can be a hindrance and stop people actually enjoying themselves.”
Newly-single Denise recently split with property developer boyfriend Jimmy Barba, 55, who she started dating last summer after her split from cheating ex Eddie Boxshall, 51, left her heartbroken.
She turned 50 in May and is busy juggling telly jobs with raising her 14-year-old daughter Betsy, who she had with her 43-year-old actor ex-husband Lee Mead.
But she’s refusing to let herself age quietly – as she loves blasting ’90s classics in her DJ sets.
Denise added: “I think a lot of music from then has really stood the test of time, and I guess a lot of people that were out partying in the ’90s, we are at an age now where perhaps we’ve had kids and started families – and you reminisce about the time when you were young, free and single and just having a really good time.”
Essex-born Denise, who has become a regular on Celebrity Gogglebox, has also replaced the kicks she got from the swinging ’90s with golf.
She said about considering it part of her self-care routine: “That’s something I was never, ever expecting to come into my life.
“But I really enjoy it and I’ve made lots of great friends from playing golf.”
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