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Loose Women star Denise Welch chats treading the boards, her famous family and not having to prove herself to anyone
Loose Women panellist Denise Welch is such an accomplished broadcaster and TV presenter that, at times, it’s easy to forget that she’s a trained actress – and a very talented one at that. Now the former Corrie and Waterloo Road cast member is returning to her thespian roots in the theatre in new play, The Gap, co-starring with former Stars in their Eyes host Matthew Kelly. The 65-year-old mum-oftwo can’t wait to be back doing what she loves best. Denise – who is married to artist Lincoln Townley and has two sons from her previous marriage to actor Tim Healy – also fills us in on her ‘wild days’, her battle with depression, and how she and Tim have managed to remain good mates…
Hello, Denise – congratulations on The Gap, what’s it all about?
It’s about two old hellraisers, Walter and Corral, played by Matthew Kelly and myself. They’ve known each other for years but you’re never quite sure what kind of relationship they had – just friends or something more… There’s a wonderful bond between them and, as youngsters, they left the North to move to London together – specifically Soho. Once there, they had a wild, wild time! Hanging out in all the classic Soho pubs like The French House and The Coach & Horses, where characters like the painter Francis Bacon used to go. I used to frequent these places too, so it’s a bit like a trip down memory lane for me – Matthew, too. Mind you, compared to Bacon and his mates, our hellraising antics look like a children’s tea party!
And what is ‘The Gap’?
It could refer to several things – the gap between Walter and Corral, the gap in their lives when they weren’t with each other anymore. But it actually refers to that gap of flesh you get between the top of a woman’s stocking top and her knickers. The gap of soft skin that drives men wild and makes them putty in your hands!
Sounds saucy!
When, as a young woman, Corral ran out of money she, ahem, started taking on gentleman callers – but the play’s not particularly saucy. It’s a beautiful story of how two people who loved each other find each other again. There’s humour, sadness, and nostalgia rolled into one great play.
Have you channelled your past party-animal days for the role?
I’m very much an instinctive actor, you don’t have to be a murderer to play a murderer, you know! I’m not a method actor like Succession’s Jeremy Strong. But I do have a lifetime of experiences I can reference and, as an actor, you bring those to roles.
Does performing in front of a live audience make you nervous?
