Loose Women’s Denise Welch has opened up about her long-fought battle with mental health, after having a ‘breakdown’ in 2019. While the 66-year-old is feeling back on track now, she highlighted the crucial symptoms she faced in the days surrounding that episode, having been an advocate for ‘mental health since 1991’.
“If I could bottle how I’m feeling right now, I’d be a billionaire,” she said exclusively to OK! in the ITV Loose Women dressing room. “I always knew the origin of my illness was hormonal, probably triggered by childbirth — it took 20 years to get anyone to accept that. I’ve been shouting from the rooftops about our mental health since 1991.
“In 2019, I had what we used to call a ‘breakdown’ — I get tingling in my hands, the colour drains from my life, I can feel it coming on. And I decided for the first time to chronicle that episode, in real time. I did just that for three days and when I came out of bed days later, it had gone viral. I’d even been on News At 10. It resonated.”
That episode inspired Denise’s book, The Unwelcome Visitor, and since then, she explained that something just ‘shifted’. The TV star and parent to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, suspects it is linked to being post-menopausal.
She reportedly continued: “I haven’t had an episode since. I’ll never, ever say it’s ‘gone’. All I know is for the first time in 35 years, I don’t wake up frightened of my illness. Something righted itself. I don’t wake up with a subconscious dread, the constant narrative, ‘Do I feel OK? S**t, it’s dark today, how’s that going to affect me…’ That’s gone.”
Denise is also clearly smitten with her husband of 11 years, Lincoln Townley, who she insisted is the ‘bedrock’ of her life. “I feel so fortunate to have met him later in life. He’s my best friend, we make each other laugh and we have each other’s backs,” she continued.
“The only thing I can thank alcohol for is that we met each other in a club late at night. We overcame all the negative press we got, the loss of my mother early on in our relationship could have set me back drinking again, but with the strength of Lincoln it didn’t. We live a life we love. Life is good. I’m filming two new TV shows at the minute.
“I have a beautiful family, including my grandson. Lincoln and I are each other’s anchors.”