Van Outen: 'I like being a working mum'

Denise Van Outen has said that being a working mum has helped make her a "better" parent.

The actress and her husband Lee Mead welcomed their baby daughter Betsy last September. However, she was criticised by former EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy for returning to work so soon after giving birth.

"I like being a working mum, and it's good for me and I think I'm a better mother for it," Van Outen told ITV's This Morning. "I think some people think that you should stay at home and not work.

"I mean I have been publicly criticised for going back to work, but each to their own. I've got friends who have had children and plan to go back to work and have decided to stay at home and I'm not judging them - they're brilliant mothers."

Van Outen admitted that juggling motherhood with working was "hard work", adding: "But it's my choice to work. I'm very lucky to be in a job that I absolutely love. I'm in Legally Blonde - it's a brilliant musical, the cast are so lovely and amazing, and I love going to work every evening."

Despite this, the 36-year-old confirmed that she and Mead have discussed having a second child.

"We'd like to, but Betsy's 10 months old and, as you know, for the first few months people were asking me and I was saying, 'No way', because I was exhausted - and she's teething so I'm still tired," she said. "But actually as she's getting a little bit older I keep thinking 'maybe'. I mean we would like to have two, that was always our plan, that would be nice. We'll see."