Loose Women panellist Denise Welch opened up about adjusting to a health condition she hadn’t realised she had, following many years of struggling with depression
Loose Women’s Denise Welch has admitted she “completely underestimated” a condition she was diagnosed with in recent years. The actress has been candid about her struggle with depression over the years, but in 2022 she discovered she also has ADHD.
According to the NHS, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a condition that affects how the brain functions. Symptoms can include difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Denise found out she had ADHD after being offered an assessment through Loose Women, following her co-star Nadia Sawalha’s own diagnosis and suspicions.
Discussing the discovery, the 67-year-old said: “To me, depression had always been my illness. I’d never considered that anything else was there.
“And I thought, well if it’s just that I interrupt a lot, sometimes girls that’s because you’re boring me, you know, I’m not going to take tablets because I interrupt a lot, or maybe I sort of go off on a tangent, thinking that’s maybe what it was, so I did the whole thing [assessment].
“And needless to say, I was diagnosed ADHD. And it’s only now on my second attempt at medication, which came after a breakdown last year, [my] first in five years, that I’ve realised how I had completely underestimated the impact of ADHD on me running parallel with my depression.”
Discussing how earlier awareness may have helped her understand her diagnosis, Denise added: “And if I had shown signs before I had Matthew, if maybe there was more money spent on women’s health, they would find a huge link between ADHD and postnatal depression, severe postnatal depression.”
The Loose Women star battled with depression after the birth of her first child, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
She refers to this illness as “the unwelcome visitor”, which led her to resort to alcohol and drugs in an attempt to escape it.
“My cocaine dependency didn’t start until my late thirties,” she revealed to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast.
She further explained that she was initially “vehemently against” drugs in her twenties and “had no desire to have anything more than a drink on a Friday [or] Saturday night with my friends”.
“That was me, but my desperation to lift this immovable depression led me to what will do it? That will,” Denise added.
The actress, who has been clean for over a decade now, continued: “When I’ve been depressed subsequently in the last four years and I have taken my ADHD tablet, it has the same effect, but not the I’m going to drink and smoke effect.”
If you suspect you may be dealing with depression or ADHD, it’s important to consult your GP for guidance and support. Help and advice can also be found on the NHS website.
