Denise Welch has admitted to suffering from incontinence and wetting herself live on air – but the Loose Women presenter has learned to “get through it with humour”
Denise Welch has candidly confessed to experiencing incontinence live on air during her time on Loose Women.
The veteran panellist, who has graced the ITV talk show for almost two decades, shared her struggles with bladder control while filming. In a promotional clip for Loose Women and TENA Silhouette, Denise, alongside co-stars Nadia Sawalha and Kelle Bryan, opened up about their personal battles with incontinence.
“I have wet myself for as long as I can remember. Whether I cough, whether I sneeze, whether I laugh – I’ve always got through it by humour, but some women are mortified by it,” revealed the 66-year-old former Corrie star.
She boldly admitted: “Have I wet myself live on air? Yes Regularly.” Nadia, 59, spoke of her embarrassment when she first encountered bladder issues in her late thirties post-childbirth, adding: “When bladder weakness hit in my late 30s after having the kids, I did feel embarrassed about it.”
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Kelle Bryan, 49, also chimed in with her own experiences, noting the commonality of the issue post-pregnancy, especially during gym sessions, humorously suggesting: “Post-baby it’s really common like if I’m in the gym bouncing around, I mean why don’t I just wear TENA!”
Denise has previously lauded Loose Women for its celebration of older women and maintained that she, her colleagues, and their audience are unbothered by outside opinions.
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“You don’t get that on any other television show – that the older you are, the more you bring to the show, the more valuable you are to the show.”
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She went on to add: “Because you’ve had every T-shirt, you’ve worn it, washed it, thrown it away, got another one, you’re not so bothered. All us older ones, we’ve all had a past, and we don’t care so much about what people think any more,” reports the Daily Star.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Denise was flooded with praise after she marked a personal milestone. The TV personality marked 12-years since she became sober and took to social media with a video to celebrate.
Denise has often been candid about her past struggles with alcohol and will often hail her husband Lincoln Townly for supporting her through one of her toughest times. She told fans: “April 18th, 12 years ago, on this very day, I took my last drink of alcohol.
“I celebrate this every year because outside of my children, it is the proudest moment of my life. I did it alongside my husband, my bezzie, Lincoln Townley. He did it for me, I did it for him and it’s not just us who benefit it is the ripple effect that sobriety helps.”