The actress and presenter Denise Van Outen has confirmed that she and her partner Eddie Boxshall have split up.

It was reported around two months ago that Van Outen had asked Boxshall to leave their house in Essex.

The couple had made plans to get married, and had been together for seven years after beginning to date in July 2014.

Van Outen confirmed the break-up on her social media with a black and white Instragram post of her and her two dogs.

She wrote: "Over the past couple of months, there has been much speculation regarding my relationship with Eddie. It saddens me to confirm that we are no longer a couple. I had to make the difficult decision not to continue in our relationship.

"I will always treasure the good times we spent together, and the memories made. We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time, especially for our children."

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As reported in The Mirror her spokesman said: “Denise is understandably upset about the news, but she remains optimistic for the future.

“Her priority is looking after her daughter and continuing to work on the many exciting projects she has coming up this year.”

Boxshall was Van Outen's first boyfriend since she split from husband Lee Mead in 2013.