Style exclusive: Denise Welch

Denise Welch is a popular actor, television personality and dedicated patron of Rochdale charity, The GEM Appeal. Her many television credits include Coronation Street and Waterloo Road which she filmed in Rochdale from 2006-2010. She is now a regular panellist on popular ITV chat show, Loose Women.

Back in September 2019, Denise was inundated with supportive messages after sharing a heartfelt video of herself on social media in the midst of a mild episode of clinical depression – explaining to her followers in a series of clips both the physical and emotional effects she experiences. In her new book, ‘The Unwelcome Visitor : Depression and How I Survive It’, Denise describes how post-natal depression, following the birth of her son - The 1975 singer Matty Healy - was her first experience of mental health issues. She has since spent three decades learning to live with depression and is now on a mission to encourage people to be open about mental health issues, and reassure them that they too can take back control.

Style caught up with Denise to discuss her bestseller, life during the pandemic, her love for trash TV and why her heart is with the people of Rochdale...

Style: How does it feel to have a bestseller?

Denise: I’m over the moon to be honest. I get the most amazing comments every single day. My story and my own experiences are helping so many people, more than I thought possible. But at the same time, as much as it’s heartwarming to hear, it’s also heartbreaking in a way, that so many people are relating to my story. So the success of the book is a double-edge sword.

You’re not claiming to advise people on how to beat depression, but instead reassure readers that they can live a full life alongside it…

Yes, my book is about trying to enjoy the times in between episodes and not be defined by depression. The reason it’s called ‘Depression and How I Survive It’ as opposed to ‘How To Survive It’ is because I have no qualifications in this. But my message is that the unwelcome visitor will always leave!

You were one of the first people to speak out publicly about post-natal depression after you had Matty - do you feel as though awareness of PND has grown or do you think there's still a way to go?

I think awareness has grown of how serious the condition can be and there are lots of amazing support groups. 31 years ago we didn’t have social media! Now a quick Google search and I’m sure you’d be able to find a local group in your area. So from that point of view there are definitely more resources, sadly not Government funded of course. But - I still don’t think that enough people have been spokespeople about the horrors of postnatal depression. There is still a stigma and a taboo about the illness which I didn’t think was quite as big as it is, until I’d written the book.

The pandemic seems to be creating or exacerbating mental health issues for some people. How have you found it?

My depression is endogenous, so I’ve just been very lucky that I haven’t had an episode during the pandemic – it’s just how it’s happened. My last episode was September when I did the Instagram videos which led to the book. It’s not a generalisation, but just from my experience of talking to a lot of people throughout this pandemic, some people who have formerly suffered from anxiety found actual lockdown a relief, because everyone was on the same page as them. Nobody was going to work or socialising, so they didn’t suffer from social anxiety. They weren't looking at Instagram and comparing their lives with other people’s glamorous lives so they didn’t suffer from status anxiety. It’s all smoke and mirrors as we know but that’s how the anxious person perceives the world.

And some other people are experiencing mental health issues for the first time. A great example is my friend and Loose Women colleague, Carol McGiffin. Carol has never understood depression and anxiety; she’s always been very supportive of me, but she’s never understood it because she’s hasn’t had any lived experience. But Carol said this pandemic is the first time in 60 years that she’s ever felt her mental health out of her control. And for her to say that is quite something.

How did you find lockdown?

I loved proper lockdown. Matty and Louis were together in Oxfordshire so I knew that my kids were safe. Lincoln [Townley - Denise's husband of 7 years] and I love each other’s company. The sun was shining. I loved going out getting food, cooking and having time to do things I don’t normally do. There was something quite special about those days and spending so much time with loved ones.

Did you have a favourite lockdown boxset?

Lincoln and I love documentaries – we’re much more documentary based than drama based, but we did love Succession. And I have the Hayu app – it’s every single rubbish American reality show the day after they get it in America. So it’s Real Housewives, Below Deck, Married to Medicine – all the s*** I love! Some people meditate, I watch trash TV. Trash TV got me through lockdown!

Any lockdown projects?

Myself, Julie Graham, Tamzin Outhwaite, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Alison Newman and Angela Griffin all filmed a web series called Dun Breedin’ about women going through different stages of the menopause - it’s on YouTube. We were filming from our own homes, using our families as the crew! Lincoln was my Director of Photography and also played my partner; Louis played my grandson, filming in Oxford. So we became filmmakers in lockdown! They proved so popular that we may be doing a series in real life.

Is your life fast-paced again postlockdown?

Well the book has been full-on but I could not be more grateful for every single interview I do. So many people have sent me messages after just reading an article or hearing me on TV. If one person reading this in Rochdale relates to my story then I’m grateful. So my life is full-on but it’s also been more home based. I’ve almost got a little studio here, with my ring light and my cameras. Even this week I did Loose Women from home. I love going to London and doing Loose Women from the studio and seeing my pals down there too, but it’s also nice to be doing a bit from home.

Your son Matty Healy [lead singer of The 1975] often uses his platform to raise awareness of important issues. Do you think that's a trait you've passed on?

I think that having a social conscience is definitely something that my kids get from me. I’m not saying their dad [actor, Tim Healy] hasn’t but I’ve always been more outspoken simply because of the types of shows I’ve done. Certainly, talking about mental health, the LGBTQ community - they definitely get that from me. And Matty has such a huge following and uses his platform for good in that respect, so I’m very proud that he does that.

You’ve been patron of Rochdale charity, The GEM Appeal, for 24 years now. How did you first get involved?

When I was in Coronation Street, I was at a North West Women’s Achievement Lunch where Karen [Johnson] was one of the nominees. She approached me and showed me a picture of her boys Simon and Mikey - she was going to ask me about becoming involved; I immediately saw the picture and without Karen saying a word I said, “oh my god they’ve got Hunter Syndrome”, and she was really shocked that I knew about the condition. It was because my friend’s son had Hunter’s and I was actually with him the day he passed away aged 16. So I immediately got a big lump in my throat. She asked me if I’d become a patron and that was how I got on board!

You’ve organised some incredible balls to raise money for the GEM Appeal…

We have - we obviously can’t have the ball this year, sadly. So we’re hopefully having it in March 2021 and that will be our 20th anniversary ball. It’s a small charity but they’ve raised over £2 million which is unbelievable with such a small team. It’s quite incredible and that’s really due to the support of the people of Rochdale.

What’s the best thing about Rochdale?

I absolutely love the Town Hall where we used to hold the summer GEM Appeal balls. And I love the people of Rochdale - I think they are a resilient, fantastic crowd. My heart is definitely with the people of Rochdale because they’ve supported the GEM Appeal for 25 years now which is just amazing.

You’ve had such a varied career so far, is there anything else you’d love to do in the future?

My ambitions are less career orientated and more life orientated. Selfishly, I want to be able to travel. I love America - I’m sad about the situation out there at the minute, especially with Trump, and just everything that’s happening all over the globe. The thought that I can always hop on a plane has always been my sanity so that’s the thing I really want to do.

Ambition wise, I feel very lucky at 62 that I’m still working and people still deem that I’m relevant in some ways. So just to be able to keep working, keep a roof over our heads and be a good wife and mum!

Ruth Parkinson