Loose Women star Denise Welch has spoken out on the claims that the show is plagued by ‘feuds’ and ‘arguments’ and insisted that she has never had a row with her co-stars
Loose Women’s Denise Welch has spoken out on a feud behind-the-scenes(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Denise Welch has opened up about the feud rumours around ITV’s Loose Women. The actress and presenter, a regular face on the show alongside Janet Street-Porter, Jane Moore, Nadia Sawlha, Coleen Nolan, Ruth Langsford, and GK Barry, has addressed the constant speculation of feuding amongst the panel.
Every week, reports circulate about tensions among the panellists following on-air spats, with Denise, 66, notably passionate in her defence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle whenever the Sussexes come under fire during discussions.
The Waterloo Road star has now set the record straight on what really goes on off-camera and tackled the speculation head-on. “It was incredibly unique and original,” she commented on the show’s format, praising its longevity: “It’s all power to it that 25 years later we’re still going. I’ve been a part of it for about 23 years.”
Reflecting on the programme’s evolution, she noted: “When it first started, it was never a staple of the daytime schedules like it is now. It was on for three months, off for three months. Then another programme came along and notched it down to half an hour, which the racing still does – but we’ve got our place.”
Denise revealed that all panelists on the show are ‘opionated’ which makes the show work so well(Image: ITV)
In an exclusive chat with the Mirror, Denise proudly stated: “I’m very proud to be part of it – and not just because it’s a female-led show, because our age range ranges from 25 to 85! We’ve got GK Barry at 25 and Gloria [Hunniford] at 85. What other show not only employs older women reveres and celebrates the voices of older women.
“There’s life in these old girls yet. We don’t care what Doris from Darlington on Twitter says. We’ve worn every T-shirt, we’ve rewashed it and re-ironed it and put it back in the drawer. Older women’s voices are so important, and I’m very proud to be a part of a show that continues to celebrate that.”
On the programme, Denise and her fellow panellists aren’t shy about tackling serious news but always strike a balance, later discussing “something light and fluffy.” She elaborated: “There’s nothing really that we avoid talking about,” adding that their show differs from others as other presenter-led shows require the presenter to remain impartial. Denise cited co-star Charlene White as an example, who must maintain impartiality while presenting on ITV News.
“Our show is anecdotal and opinion-led,” she declared. When asked about viewers criticising herself and Nadia, Denise quipped it is “about us” as they agree to voice their opinions on the show, but concedes it can be “hard” to expose themselves, knowing people will instantly form an opinion.
She continued: “Depending on what we are, we are four very opinionated, strong women. Just because we disagree doesn’t mean we’re in a feud, which drives me mad.” Discussing any potential feuds over the years, Denise stated: “I have never and I will honestly say, hand on heart, in 23 years, I have never had an argument with anybody on that show.
The actress praised the diverse age ranges of the programme ranging from 25 to 85(Image: ITV)
“If we didn’t have discussions and debate, it would be a very boring show,” she elaborated. Denise added: “There’s got to be dissension in the ranks, and sometimes, if there’s a topic that I’m not very passionate about, I will often, for the fun of it, play devil’s advocate. Because I feel it needs that sometimes needs to spur debates. We all get on absolutely fine, and we all see each other. Some people are closer than others. We all have geographic boundaries as well; we don’t all just live in London all of the time. I’m very proud to be a part of it!”
The actress, who has also starred in Coronation Street, recently shared that going sober 13 years ago was the “best decision” she and her husband, Lincoln Townley, had ever made. However, after giving up alcohol, which she describes as a “momentous point” in their lives, she later realised that she may be swapping alcohol for food addiction due to an “addictive personality”.
Denise confessed to the Mirror: “I very quickly realised that I was in danger of swapping alcohol addiction for food addiction.” The star shared that “all of the bad things” in her life, including alcohol and depression, had inadvertently kept her slim. “That stops me from eating when I’m having an episode, suddenly, the alcohol and the bad things were taken out of my life, I realised I was starting to replace alcohol with food,” she confessed.
Actresses Denise and Nadia Sawalha are often pitted against one another by viewers(Image: ITV)
Denise admitted to “bingeing” and consuming food “way past” feeling full, yet it never seemed enough. She disclosed her secret snacking habits, sneaking into the kitchen for treats and concealing chocolate.
However, she came to understand that there was no need to hide her eating from her family; her husband, Lincoln, and their son, Louis, a star of Hotel Portofino, were indifferent.
“Nobody cared – so why am I doing everything so secretly? Guiltily, like I used to drink,” she reflected. After getting engaged to Lincoln, Denise noticed she had gained two stone in a short period of time. She acknowledged that while some aim to shed a significant amount of weight, for her, those two stones were substantial.
She elaborated: “It wasn’t just how aesthetically it made me look, because I carry a lot of my weight on my face, so it becomes very noticeable. I’m on television several times a week – and that’s not a very flattering medium, so I was aware of it there but it was also the fact I’ve never been super fit but I was aware it was impairing my breathing.”
However, it wasn’t until Denise suffered a fall while performing in a theatre production in Kingston with Keith Allen that reality set in. She recounted the incident, saying: “I tripped and fell on Kingston Bridge. I went to see this knee doctor and he said, ‘You’ve got osteoarthritis and you need to lose weight’. I thought ‘my God, I didn’t think I had that much of a problem’, the breathing and stuff was due to a sleep apnea problem that wasn’t caused by, but isn’t helped by, weight gain.”
After discussing her plans to lose weight for her wedding, she was “inundated” by diet firms to front their campaigns. But it was a decision she made with Lincoln, who was also keen on losing weight.
They decided on LighterLife as it was the only weight loss company which spoke about changing the relationship with food. The company, for which Denise is an ambassador, uses mental approaches, such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), group therapy or mentorship, and physical approaches. At first, she admits being wary about going to the group therapy as she didn’t want “all eyes” to be on her, but it was Lincoln who encouraged her to go along.
“I’m ever so grateful that I did, that first meeting changed my life,” she exclaimed. Although she acknowledges that there might have been other ways to shed the pounds, she concedes that without her strategy, she could have “piled it back on” due to the natural fluctuations in human weight.
“I always know that I’ve got the tools, the CBT tools to get me back on board,” she said, detailing the four processes she relies on. After shedding two stone, Denise applied her CBT expertise to quit smoking, a habit she picked up at 16. She shared: “By applying the same CBT techniques to cigarettes, and that helped me, come off those as well. So they are treasured tools.”
The actress explained that LighterLife completely changed her life(Image: LighterLife)
As a LighterLife ambassador for over a decade, Denise continues to consult with her doctor, Dr Kelly. “I have seen LighterLife and the mentors not only change people’s lives, but people’s lives,” she stated before asserting: “I am a fervent believer that this works.”
Denise, despite lacking medical qualifications, is convinced of LighterLife’s effectiveness, having witnessed its impact on thousands. With a busy schedule, she often carries LighterLife food, particularly enjoying the porridge and salted caramel chocolate bars.
“I would say to give it a try and the help of working with these trained mentors who are there for you is life changing, it’s an incredible, supportive community,” she advised.
Denise’s doctor, Dr Kelly, has voiced concerns over the diet fads sweeping social media, warning: “The problem with social media weight loss trends is that often they’re not nutritionally complete, not effective nor sustainable, and often they can be downright dangerous.”
She advocates for a more structured approach to weight management, highlighting LighterLife’s programme: “Alongside a nutritious, evidence-based, clinically effective weight loss plan, LighterLife helps you gain the tools required to silence that ‘food noise’ and successfully manage your weight in the longer term.”
Dr Kelly further emphasised the importance of a holistic strategy, noting that LighterLife’s diet plan offers an “evidence-based solution” and explaining: “Unless you engage with a programme which is designed to support both the physical and the psychological changes needed to help you better manage your weight, which includes diet and tools to address ‘food noise’ then you are far less likely to be successful.”
Denise Welch is working with LighterLife, the leading weight loss programme, which combines formula-based nutritionally complete diet plans with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help people holistically transform their lives. Denise lost two stone in two months with the programme. Find out more at lighterlife.com
