EXCLUSIVE: Denise Welch has come clean about the allegations that she and her Loose Women co-stars frequently get into fights on-air on the ITV show.
Denise Welch has revealed the truth behind claims of a feud on Loose Women. The actress and broadcaster often appears on the ITV1 panel show alongside the likes of co-stars Janet Street-Porter, Jane Moore, Nadia Sawlha, Coleen Nolan, Ruth Langsford and GK Barry.
But each week, the show is plagued by speculation that the women are at loggerheads with one another following disagreements on the panel. The panel are often locked in disagreements on certain topics, with Denise, 66, often furiously defending Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle when the Sussexes are criticised on the show.
The Waterloo Road star has since responded to accusations that the panel is at war and revealed what actually happens in the background. She praised the program, saying, “It was incredibly unique and original,” adding, “It’s all powerful that 25 years later we’re still going. I’ve been a part of it for about 23 years.
It was never a staple of daytime schedules as it is now when it first started. It was on for three months, off for three months. Then, another program cut it down by 30 minutes, which the racing still does, but we’ve got our spot.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Denise added: “I’m very proud to be part of it – and not just because it’s a female-led show, because our age range ranges from 25 to 85! We’ve got GK Barry at 25 and Gloria [Hunniford] at 85. What other show not only employs older women reveres and celebrates the voices of older women.
“There’s life in these old girls yet. We don’t care what Doris from Darlington on Twitter says. We’ve worn every T-shirt, we’ve rewashed it and re-ironed it and put it back in the drawer. Older women’s voices are so important, and I’m very proud to be a part of a show that continues to celebrate that.”
On the programme, Denise and the panel are not afraid to touch on heavy news but always find a balance, later discussing “something light and fluffy.” She explained: “There’s nothing really that we avoid talking about,” adding that the show is different to others as other presenter-led shows see the presenter remaining impartial. Denise used co-star Charlene White as an example, who has to be impartial while presenting on ITV News.
She claimed that her show is opinion-driven and anecdotal. When questioned about viewers nitpicking herself and Nadia, Denise joked it is “about us” as they sign up to voice their opinions on the show, but admits it can be “hard” to put themselves out there as they know people will instantly have an opinion.
We are four very opinionated strong women, she continued. We don’t have a feud because we disagree, which makes me crazy. Speaking about any type of feud which may have happened over the years, Denise revealed: “I have never and I will honestly say, hand on heart, in 23 years, I have never had an argument with anybody on that show”.
It would be a very dull show, she said, “without discussions and debate.” There is always disagreement among the ranks, Denise added, and I’m oftentimes, for fun, play the devil’s advocate when it comes to a subject I’m not particularly passionate about. Because I feel it needs that sometimes needs to spur debates. We all get along perfectly and can see one another. Some people are more in-depth than others. We all have geographic boundaries as well, we don’t all just live in London all of the time. I’m very happy to be a part of it.
The actress who has also appeared in Coronation Street recently revealed that going sober 13 years ago was the “best decision” she and her husband, Lincoln Townley, had ever made. But after ditching alcohol, which she says was a “momentous point” in their lives, she later realised that she realised she may be swapping alcohol for food addiction due to an “addictive personality”. Denise revealed to the Mirror: “I very quickly realised that I was in danger of swapping alcohol addiction for food addiction.”
Thestar went on to say that “all of the bad things” in her life had kept her slim without her trying – including alcohol and depression. When I’m having an episode, I suddenly realized I was starting to replace alcohol with food, she said.
Denise claimed that it was never enough for her to “binge” and eat “way past” her full point. She revealed she had started secretly eating, heading to the kitchen for food, and hiding chocolate. However, she later realized that her family didn’t care because her husband, Lincoln, and son Louis, the youngest hotel star, didn’t care about it.
“Nobody cared; so why am I doing everything so covertly?” Guiltily, like I used to drink”, she said. She realized she had put on two stones in “not a very long time” after the proposal to Denise. She explained that while she was aware that some people frequently attempt to lose significant weight, the two stone was significant.
Explaining, she said: “It wasn’t just how aesthetically it made me look, because I carry a lot of my weight on my face, so it becomes very noticeable. I’m on television frequently, which is not a very flattering medium, so I was aware of it there. However, I also was aware that even though I’ve never been very fit, it was affecting my breathing.
However, Denise was impacted by the realization while Keith Allen and she were performing in a theatre production in Kingston. Recalling the moment, she said: “I tripped and fell on Kingston Bridge. This knee specialist told me, “You have osteoarthritis and you need to lose weight,” when I visited him. My God, I didn’t believe I had that much of a problem; instead, I believed that weight gain, which wasn’t related to sleep apnea, was what was to blame.
After discussing her weight-loss plans for her wedding, diet companies began to “inundate” her. But she and Lincoln, who both wanted to lose weight, made the decision. They decided on LighterLife as it was the only weight loss company which spoke about changing the relationship with food.
The organization, for which Denise is an ambassador, uses physical approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy (mentorship), and cognitive behavioral therapy. She acknowledges initially being hesitant to enroll in group therapy because she didn’t want “all eyes” on her, but Lincoln was the one who spurred her on.
“I’m ever so grateful that I did, that first meeting changed my life”, she exclaimed. She acknowledges that she may have “piled it back on” because she is a person with fluctuating weight throughout her life, even though she claims to have lost weight in other ways. She continued, stating that she always knows that she has the resources to get her back on board and that she has the CBT resources. She explained that she has four steps she can take.
After shedding two stone, Denise used her CBT skills to quit smoking, which she did when she was 16 years old. She explained that “I came off those cigarettes by using the same CBT techniques.” So they are treasured tools”. Denise has maintained her relationship with her doctor, Dr. Kelly, despite having been a LighterLife ambassador for 13 years. She continued, “I have seen LighterLife and the mentors change people’s lives as well as people’s lives,” adding, “I am a fervent believer that this works.”
Although Denise admits she has no medical experience, she believes that LighterLife does work, having seen firsthand how thousands of people have benefited from it. Due to her hectic work schedule, she frequently carries some of the LighterLife food with her, especially the salted caramel chocolate bars and porridge. It’s an incredible, supportive community, she said, and I would advise giving it a try. Working with these trained mentors who are there for you is life-changing.
Meanwhile, Denise’s doctor, Dr Kelly, shed light on the rising topic of diets on social media. She remarked, “The issue with social media weight loss trends is that they frequently lack nutritional value, are ineffective, or can be downright dangerous.
Along with a nourishing, scientifically proven, clinically proven weight loss strategy, LighterLife assists you in developing the tools you need to effectively manage your weight over the long term. “Dr Kelly went on to explain that LighterLife’s diet plan has used an” evidence-based solution”, explaining:” Unless you engage with a programme which is designed to support both the physical and the psychological changes needed to help you better manage your weight, which includes diet and tools to address ‘ food noise ‘ then you are far less likely to be successful. “
Source: Mirror
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