Denise Welch’s secret battle with numbers that left her ‘throwing up’ amid depression fight
Denise Welch, beloved Loose Women panellist, mental health advocate and acclaimed actress, has publicly battled many life challenges – from depression to alcohol addiction. Thankfully, she overcame these struggles years ago with the support of her husband, artist Lincoln Townley. However, one battle Denise hasn’t extensively discussed is her secret struggle with numbers, which led to financial difficulties.
Now, as an ambassador for National Numeracy, Denise is tackling this issue head-on and sharing her journey, says OK!. And she wants people to know two things: struggling doesn’t make you “thick”, and help is available. The candid 66 year old star, who shares sons Louis, 23, an actor, and The 1975 frontman Matty, 35, with ex-husband and fellow actor Tim Healy, is known for her brutal honesty. Happily, she tells us, she’s in a great place right now, both professionally and personally.
After years of mental health struggles culminating in a breakdown in 2019, she’s never felt better., reports OK!. “If I could bottle how I’m feeling right now, I’d be a billionaire”, she chuckles, speaking to us from her Loose Women dressing room at ITV. It took 20 years for anyone to accept that my illness was hormonal and probably brought on by childbirth. Since 1991, I’ve been yelling from the rooftops about our mental health.
“In 2019, I had what we used to call a ‘ breakdown ‘ – I get tingling in my hands, the colour drains from my life, I can feel it coming on. And I made the first decision to accurately record that particular incident. Three days after I did it, I did it, and it had gone viral when I woke up. Even on News At 10, I was there. It resonated”.
That incident gave rise to Denise’s book, The Unwelcome Visitor, and she’s since felt a significant shift, which she thinks may be connected to becoming post-menopausal. “I haven’t had an episode since. I’ll never, ever say it’s ‘ gone’. All I know is for the first time in 35 years, I don’t wake up frightened of my illness. Something righted itself. I don’t wake up with a subconscious dread, the constant narrative, ‘ Do I feel OK? S**t, it’s dark today, how’s that going to affect me… ‘ That’s gone”.
Denise is also clearly smitten with her hubby of more than a decade, Lincoln. She gushes that despite sounding “corny”, at 51, he’s the “bedrock” of her world. I consider it extremely fortunate that I met him later in life. He’s my best friend, we make each other laugh and we’ve got each other’s backs. We met in a club late at night, and that is the only thing I can thank alcohol for.
Denise Welch and her partner Lincoln Townley have overcome difficulties, including dealing with negative media coverage and losing her mother. With the support of Lincoln, we overcame all the negative press we received. The loss of my mother early in our relationship could have caused me to start drinking again. We live a life we love. Life is good. I’m filming two new TV shows at the minute. I have a beautiful family, including my grandson. Lincoln and I are each other’s anchors”.
When Denise talks about her children’s professional advancements, including Matty finding success as The 1975’s frontman while producing his sixth album, Louis mentions his transition to the role for the Stranger Things West End play and Matty mentions his success as the actor for the Stranger Things West End play. She reflects, “Yes, Matty’s taking his foot off the gas of touring for a couple of years”, and shares her joy of spending time in LA, where he resides: “He’s based in LA, which is great as we love LA”.
Being the grandmother to baby Theo, Denise can’t help but feel deeply in love: “Theo is just this joyful child who we are completely besotted with. You don’t expect the outpouring of love you’ll feel for a grandchild. I’ve never seen anything like how Lincoln is with him, and this tiny, tiny dot has only been around for a year. When you’re a blended family, you have to share the little one out quite a lot, so it’s like, ‘ We’ll have him! ‘”.
Denise continues to flex her acting muscles and discuss her sincere opinions on Loose Women when she isn’t moping on her grandson. Why does she keep returning to the show? It’s the love and respect she receives from the team, according to Denise. She also feels a lot of maturity while on the air. “Loose Women has sincerely seen me through the positive, negative, ugly, and now positive again,” she said. The platform it gave me is very kind to me. This is one of the few shows in the nation that honors older women because they are not frequently heard. We have women from 24 to 84 – where else do you get that range of opinion and life experience”? Denise revealed.
Former Corrie star Denise has been named the new ambassador for National Numeracy, a cause that resonates with her because she has struggled with numbers her entire life, in addition to working on two hush-hush TV projects. After watching Denise discuss the subject on Loose Women, the charity reached out to her. “I’m no authority, but I just share my own experience”, she admits. “I’ve always been terrified of maths and numbers. It’s plagued my life, my normal life. It has left me extremely frightened and has made me very shaky with my money to this day. National Numeracy aims to remove “fear” from math, but I have a very strong feeling about it. If you can tell me your story, I’ll share it.
Denise’s struggles began in the classroom. As a child, she was a “speed reading champion” with a passion for English, but maths terrified her. She recalls that, “just at the thought of it,” she would “go and throw herself in the toilets.” Denise also had an unkind teacher who, she says, would “prey on those who were vulnerable”.
“I hated it. My dad found numbers easy, so he wasn’t forceful, but I remember him saying, ‘ Denise, if X equals Z, how can you not see? ‘ It sounded like someone was speaking another language. But these things weren’t discussed back then. Because we had to study mental math, I lost a lovely job at a pub when I was 18 years old. They let me leave because I took too long to wait at the till.
As she grew older and entered the world of showbiz, Denise would only appear on quiz shows where she wouldn’t be asked anything mathematical. She began to experience negative effects from her fear of numbers. “There were mortgages, taxes, bills. By burying my head in the sand at the beginning of my career, I was in trouble. She acknowledges that she has a good husband and a great-grandparent, but admits to feeling bad about having him. However, she’s adamant that support is available for those facing similar challenges.
“Contact National Numeracy and they’ll help you with basic skills”, she advises. “Don’t be ashamed if you’re no good with numbers, because believe me, it ain’t just you! And it doesn’t mean you’re not incredibly clever, which is what I used to think. Ask for help, because those bills won’t go away, they’ll just pile up”. Now juggling a successful career and a happy home life, Denise has conquered her personal “elephant in the room” – her past embarrassment. Beaming with joy, she shares, “I’m happy. Life is good”! and reflects, “Isn’t that all anyone can ask for”?.
