Former EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite has opened up about her love life following the end of her six-and-a-half-year relationship with Tom Child, who was 20 years her junior. The 55-year-old actress, best known for playing Mel Owen in the BBC soap, admitted she has learned valuable lessons about dating and self-worth.
Speaking on HELLO!'s Second Act podcast last September, Outhwaite revealed she now prioritises friendship over romance. 'It took me a long time in life to start having a love affair with myself instead of another man,' she said. 'Friendship is more important than romance right now, I don't know that I've got the time for relationships.'
The actress reflected on the pressure to be in a relationship, calling the search for a partner to 'complete you' dangerous. 'The constant search to find someone to complete you is dangerous… I won't do it again. There is so much discovery of yourself you can do,' she stated.
Outhwaite also joked about her dating preferences, admitting she has never dated a man her own age or older. 'I feel like I'm 30, and I'll look at someone who is 40 and think, "that's about right!" before realising they're much younger than me,' she said. On men in their fifties, she quipped: 'There are men in their 50s who really look after themselves, but I just haven't met them yet.'
The actress, who split from Tom Child amicably, continues to co-parent her two teenage daughters, Flo and Marnie, with ex-husband Tom Ellis. Outhwaite will appear on ITV's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on Sunday, February 1.
