After a two-decade hiatus, Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen have reunited for the first time in two decades.
The Radio X DJ, 56, and Denise, 49, co-hosted The Big Breakfast in the 1990s but had a “major rupture” over a wage issue.
But the pair, who last worked together on the entertainment programme Passport to Paradise in 2004, have buried the hatchet and taken over Steph’s Packed Lunch on Tuesday.
They began the Channel 4 show with Denise and Johnny in a confessional, reflecting on their previous presenting careers together.
Denise quipped that Johnny ‘spoke a lot,’ but it was ‘great to see him again,’ while Johnny said the former I’ll Do Anything actress was too preoccupied with ‘fashion and make-up.’
Denise responded, ‘The only thing is he spoke a lot about how I used to make more money than me, but it’s alright.’
They were both excited to be working again before the credits for Steph’s Packed Lunch rolled.
And viewers were loving their return, with one begging: ‘Can we have these 2 back every day please!?! Missed them from our screen so much!’
Another remarked they ‘absolutely loved their chemistry and chaotic atmosphere’ after a segment about whether to feed dogs wet or dry food.
Can we have these 2 back every day please!?! Missed them from our screen so much!
— Annie (@JustAnnie71) June 13, 2023
Absolutely love their chemistry and chaotic atmosphere together!! Nostalgia at its best! They so need to bring back big breakfast #StephsPackedLunch #BigBreakfastReunion #BritishTV @denise_vanouten @Johnnyvaughan
— James Sawkins (@1191sawk) June 13, 2023
“Do you prefer wet or dry Jonny?” @StephLunch do you know what you’ve done?!!! 😂😂😂 @PackedLunchC4 @denise_vanouten #stephspackedlunch
— Mart (@Moonraker_Mart) June 13, 2023
https://twitter.com/johnnyhazell36/status/1668574985923723265
The reunion I didn’t know I needed ! 😊 #stephspackedlunch pic.twitter.com/fWeXJviOXj
— yipeeayeaymotherchuffers (@howesmags) June 13, 2023
Denise and Johnny dug right in (literally), chowing down on some dog food, with the Radio X DJ remarking that it “tasted like fags.”
Screwing up his face in horror, he continued: ‘There’s smell out here that’s going to outlast religion.’
‘Still to come,’ he added introducing the adverts. ‘Might be the contents of my stomach.’
Denise and Johnny first appeared together on The Big Breakfast in 1997, quickly gaining a devoted fanbase for their banter and natural chemistry.
Denise left the light entertainment programme three years later due to a wage disagreement after finding that contract negotiations resulted in Johnny earning more than her for the same position.
In 2017, Denise spoke out about the problem, and during an interview on Loose Women explained: ‘I had a tremendous fallout with Johnny Vaughan when we were on The tremendous Breakfast and at that time we were like brother and sister. We were unbreakable best friends.
‘The whole relationship fell apart when we started to renegotiate our contracts because I always felt we worked together as a team and that’s how it should be. We created it together.’
‘Not just us but the rest of the team working on the show. I always had that mentality that it was about all of us,’ she continued.
However, she then discovered his agent had been negotiating for him separately.
‘I found out and obviously confronted him and I realised then at that point that our friendship had gone in two different directions and for me it was tarnished,’ she said.
‘That’s why I left the show because I knew at that point that it would never be the same.’
Denise, on the other hand, stated in 2021 that she and Johnny had reconciled after a 20-year feud.
‘Johnny and I have had a bit of a rocky relationship over the years for various reasons and, funnily enough, we’ve messaged a lot in lockdown,’ she told The Mirror.
‘These situations make you reflect and realise some of the silly niggles and arguments you have are just not worth it.’
The Big Breakfast finally ended in 2002, with performers such as Richard Bacon and Donna Air presenting the final three years.
It was relaunched last year to commemorate the show’s 20th anniversary, with Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu serving as hosts.
Last year, it was revealed that Mo Gilligan will host a one-time edition of the show this autumn to commemorate the show’s 30th anniversary.
On Wednesday (June 14), Steph McGovern will return to Steph’s Packed Lunch.
Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays from 12pm on Channel 4.
