Denise Van Outen opens up about daughter Betsy's learning difficulties

Denise Van Outen has opened up about her daughter Betsy's 'ongoing' struggle with learning difficulties.

The star, 43, spoke the The Sun's Fabulous magazine about her daughter's diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia, admitting that the conditions had been 'affecting' seven-year-old Betsy, whom she shares with ex-husband Lee Mead, for years.

'We've known since she was quite little, but I had a bit of a battle at the school because she was having SEN [special education needs] classes and being taken out of her group,' Denise said. 'I could see it was affecting her.'

'There were situations where she was knocked by it. She was getting frustrated and when you're little you don't understand those emotions.'

The couple have since made the decision to withdraw Betsy from her previous school in Kent and enrol her in a smaller specialist school in London, where she's said to be thriving.

'She's so much happier,' Denise continued. 'She jumps up every morning wanting to go to school. It's all about visual learning and giving them the time to process everything.'

Betsy is the only child for both Denise and West End star Lee, who tied the knot in a stunning Seychelles ceremony in 2009.

The couple welcomed their daughter a year later in 2010. 'We are proud parents and very ecstatic,' Denise confirmed at the time, before joking on Twitter: 'She came out doing the splits and with full-on jazz hands.'

Denise and Lee split in 2013, confirming the news of their separation in a statement which read: 'The couple remain the best of friends, with their daughter Betsy as their number one priority.'

The Loose Women panellist is now dating city trader Eddie Boxshall, telling HELLO! magazine earlier this year that she and her other half 'just clicked'.

'With Eddie I knew within ten minutes,' she said of their relationship. 'All my best times with him are when it's just the two of us.'