A smiling Denise Van Outen took a bow at the end of her Broadway debut last night in the hit production Chicago.

The 27-year-old from Basildon is now awaiting the verdict of the critics for her starring role as Roxie Hart in the US production of the show at the Schubert Theatre in New York.

Denise, whose face has already appeared on a huge billboard in New York's Times Square, admitted she had last-minute stage nerves about not letting her Essex accent slip through.

She said before going on stage: "The singing is harder than the dialogue. I hope they'll give me tips, or I'll look so stupid."

Published Tuesday, March 19, 2002