Denise Welch has revealed she’s been battling a “horrible” health problem that leaves her constantly spinning, shocking Loose Women co-star Kelly Brook
Denise Welch has opened up about a debilitating bout of vertigo that has left her struggling with everyday tasks — and even shocked her Loose Women co-star Kelly Brook. The 67-year-old panellist, who has been a staple of the ITV daytime show for more than a decade, shared the “horrible” reality of what she’s been dealing with during an on-air discussion about health problems many people silently live with.
Speaking on the Loose Women podcast, Denise began by explaining just how disruptive the condition has become. “Yeah, but the other thing that I’ve got — and Pauline, one of our makeup artists, has it as well — because my vertigo is here at the moment,” she said. “People think vertigo is just like fear of heights and everything. It is, but real vertigo is this spinning. So not only am I spinning all the time at night, which is just horrible.”
Her revelation left Kelly visibly surprised, as she admitted she had no idea how severe the condition can be. “Oh, is that vertigo? Oh, I get that — I thought that was just anxiety,” she responded, stunned to learn that what she had experienced might be linked to the same condition.
Denise went on to describe the daily impact it has on her life, explaining that even something as simple as lying down has become a carefully managed routine. “If I lie down at night, I have to do it very slowly,” she said. “I’m conditioned to do it now. Turning to my left I’m all right. If I turn to my right, it’s… I can count on it — one, two, three, four, spin — and it’s like a roller coaster.”
The vertigo has also made travelling increasingly difficult. “What it means is that now, when I get in a car, especially electric cars, I am so sick,” she said. “I’ve got my sickness tablets, but of course they make me drowsy, so then I’m moaning about being too drowsy. And I’ve got my beta blockers for the anxiety. I mean, honestly.”
For long-time viewers, Denise’s openness comes as no surprise. Throughout her Loose Women career, she has been widely praised for candidly discussing her personal life and health, including her decades-long battle with depression. She has spoken publicly about experiencing episodes she once described as “the unwelcome visitor”, and has used her platform to challenge stigma around mental illness.
Last year, Denise admitted to the Loose Women panel that she hadn’t been well for the past couple of weeks and said her recent time off the show came as a result of her depression making an “unwelcome” return.
Denise said: “Yeah, so I had a really rough two weeks, which I’m still in a bit. I just did a podcast and a big article saying how I’ve been free for five years of clinical depression.
“Sadly, the unwelcome visitor paid me another visit, so I’ve not been well for a couple of weeks.”
Denise has also previously revealed she has been diagnosed with ADHD. The star was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2023, after being pushed into getting a test by fellow panellist Nadia Sawalha.
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply