Tamzin Outhwaite: I am old enough to be boyfriend's mother and I don't care

Tamzin Outhwaite has said she is old enough to be her boyfriend's mother but she does not care.

The 51-year-old former EastEnders star lives with 31-year-old cameraman Tom Child, who she met almost four years ago, and said the 20 year age gap is "not a thing in our relationship any more".

Outhwaite told The Sun: “We just have a great connection. It’s very difficult to describe, we are both just having a lovely time.

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"At the beginning of our relationship we were saying it couldn’t work because of the age gap. We thought it was too much, but then we thought, ‘Who cares?’.

“I get the odd strange comment, saying, ‘You look old enough to be his mother’, which makes me want to say, ‘Well, I am old enough to be his mother, but I’m not!' "

She added: “Mostly I get women in the same position, saying, ‘We’ve been together, he’s this young, at first we thought it was a bit strange, but if it was the other way around and it was a man, there wouldn’t be any interest at all’.

“The age gap is not a thing in our relationship any more. We use it as comedy to make people laugh but we never have to discuss it.”

The Ridley Road star split from her husband, Miranda star Tom Ellis, in 2013 after seven years together. They share two daughters, Flo, 14, and Marnie, ten.

Earlier this year Outhwaite opened up about going through the menopause and how it had affected her life.

She said: "I feel as if I’m going a bit crazy right now... the menopause makes you question things about your life.

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"I can’t do what I used to do in my everyday life. My life used to be so chaotic. There’s also a very nurturing and calm side to me and I’m struggling to find that side of myself again. I’m hoping yoga will help."

Watch: Tamzin Outhwaite in frank discussion about the menopause on WWQT