Singer Matty Healy started The 1975 with school friends, rehearsing in his mum and dad’s garage before finding fame

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Denise Welch has opened up about a ‘tough’ time with Matty Healy(Image: Justin Palmer, GC Imagesvia Getty Images)

Loose Women star Denise Welch has opened up about the moment she knew “life would never be the same” with son Matty Healy and admits she found it “tough”. Denise shares The 1975 frontman with ex-husband Tim Healy.

The 67-year-old was working on Coronation Street and living in Cheshire when Matty met bandmates Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald at Wilmslow High School before recruiting drummer George Daniel. Denise says she and Tim “let them be in the garage” so they could rehearse.

She admits she would often find herself “stepping over” members of other bands who had enjoyed a heavy night. Although she confesses that she thought it was “lovely” having her son and his friends around.

Denise however admits her life “changed forever” when the band released their song “Chocolate” in 2013. The song charted in both the US and UK while the band’s self-titled album was a success on both sides of the Atlantic.

Denise opened up about The 1975’s early days in her garage during an appearance on the How to Fail podcast with Elizabeth Day. She said: “They started there, they would eat there.

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Denise has opened up about Matty’s early days with the 1975(Image: Instagram/ @denise_welch)

“What was lovely is that because that was the hub of their band rehearsals, even though it was years before anything happened, all of the girlfriends would come over.

“Whereas often with boys, the boys go to the girlfriend’s house and without having a daughter, it was quite nice.

“And then of course Louis, because there’s 12 years between my boys, same dad but 12 years in between, and they’ve got a little toddler who is trying to knock on and standing longingly outside the rehearsal room trying to be in the band.

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Matty performed Glastonbury with The 1975(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

“Then when they were about 22/23, Chocolate, one of their signature songs and one of the first songs Matty and George wrote [that] took off. There was no, ‘Oh, you’re going to university. You know, we know a year in advance what’s going to happen’. They were just gone.

“And they were gone internationally. And then that was tough. I had a little one as well and that kind of filled the gap but that was hard because I knew life would never be the same, they’re not going to come home at weekends and get their washing done.”

Denise says she is often seen as “the Virgin Mary” to fans of the band. And admits she gets “emotional” when she watches Matty performing.

She added: “It’s very emotional and sometimes when there’s 20,000 people again at the O2, for example, I want to scream, ‘You’re all here because of me.’

“Forty-two hours of labour pushing him out. Thank you. Thank you. I used to scream at them to shut up with the songs, and now when they sing them, I’m thinking that’s my pension.”