Denise Van Outen opts for a stylish plaid shirt and a leather skirt to kick off rehearsals for her cabaret show after it was forced to close in lockdown

It's spent weeks shut down due to the Covid pandemic. 

So it was no surprise that Denise Van Outen was in high spirits as she kicked off rehearsals for her cabaret show in London's Proud Embankment on Friday.

The TV personality, 48, cut a stylish figure in a plaid shirt and a leather skirt as she arrived at the venue to practice her performance ahead of the show's re-opening next month.

Denise opted for the Burberry-inspired printed shirt and black skirt, and finished her look with a bomber coat and a matching handbag.

The Celebrity Gogglebox star was spotted arriving at the venue before taking to the stage to begin rehearsals, with performances set to resume next month.

Denise, who had delighted fans with her racy ensembles during the stage show, slipped straight back into her role as she ran through some of the songs.

Like much of the theatre industry, Denise's show was forced to close when England was plunged back into Tier 3 restrictions in December, with lockdown following just weeks later.

Venues such as Proud Embankment will be allowed to re-open from May 17 when indoor mixing can resume, with limited numbers to ensue social distancing can be maintained.

It comes after Denise said she has 'no regrets' about posing on the front of lads' magazines in the 90s.

The former Big Breakfast presenter said she looks back on the photoshoots with fond memories and keeps the magazines in a box in her attic.

She said she kept her standards high and was 'selective' about how much skin she showed, saying she 'never did anything topless'.

In an interview with The Sun, she said: 'I look back at them fondly, I have no regrets about the shoots. They were fun to do.

'It was very fashionable at the time and I enjoyed all of it. I never felt uncomfortable.'

She continued: 'I was quite selective anyway. I never did anything topless, there was more of a fashion approach to it.'  

The Dancing On Ice star recently revealed her plans to marry her long term partner Eddie Boxshall in a small registry office ceremony but said she doesn't have an engagement ring.

She recently told The Sun: 'For a lot of women the dream is the big rock on the finger. I'm the opposite of that. I just want the commitment between two people.'

The presenter said she and Eddie's plans were to keep things low key and only get wedding bands rather than engagement rings.  

She revealed: 'I was going to propose last leap year, but we went into lockdown so it was impossible to do it properly. It didn't feel right.'