Van Outen's Capital departure confirmed

GCap Media has confirmed that Denise van Outen has quit Capital 95.8's breakfast show after finding that she "was not able to handle the early starts".

The stage star joined the station in February and reunited with her former Big Breakfast co-host Johnny Vaughan on the flagship station's breakfast slot. However, the show ranked third in reach between 6am-9am, after rivals Magic and Heart, in the most recent RAJAR ratings.

A GCap spokesperson explained: "Denise asked for a meeting and made it clear to her new bosses that she wasn't able to handle the early starts as they were impacting on her personal life and her health. It takes a special kind of person to consistently rise early and give the public the level of entertainment they expect each morning. Denise requested the opportunity to break her contract immediately and we obliged."

Vaughan is said to have been "surprised" at van Outen's decision to quit. Model Lisa Snowdon is currently co-presenting the breakfast show, but a permanent replacement is now being sought.