T
he sky’s the limit for
Denise Welch at the
moment. Not only is she
continuing to bring us fun
as a panellist on ITV’s lunchtime
show Loose Women, but she’s
also about to inject some laughter
into Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.
She’ll make her big debut next
week as Maxine’s mum Trish, a
fun and flirty dance teacher who
doesn’t always see eye-to-eye
with her daughter or hunky toyboy
Brad. It’s a part Denise couldn’t
wait to take on, not least because,
in a case of art imitating life,
Denise, 62, is also proud to be
married to someone 14 years
her junior, artist Lincoln Townley.
She tells new, “I’m delighted
that my character, like in my real
life, has a lover that’s about 15
years younger than her.”
Denise and Lincoln tied the
knot seven years ago and to
this day are as smitten as ever.
And she puts the success of
their relationship down to them
both giving up booze more than
eight years ago.
She says, “If it sounds corny,
I don’t really care, but my
marriage is the cornerstone of
my life. If it’s good, everything
else is good.”
Here, we catch up with the
star to chat about proving their
relationship critics wrong and
why Lincoln and Denise have
both been working out more...
Hi, Denise! Congratulations on
your Hollyoaks role...
Thank you. I’m back on screen
and acting. I’ve really missed
it. I’m lucky enough to have a
career that allows me to be
a presenter as well, but acting
is in my blood. And this role is
a massive dream.
What’s your character like?
Normally when people write for
women of 62, they conjure up
‘I WANT KIM
KARDASHIAN ON
LOOSE WOMEN’
Loose Women star Denise Welch on the celebs she’d love on
the show, her marriage secrets and feeling at ease with her body
this image of an old lady, whereas
Trish is vibrant, trendy and she’s
got a really fit, young lover. I’m
delighted that my character, like
me in my real life, has a lover
who’s about 15 years younger
than her. But because of filming
restrictions, we can’t be physical
together. When Lincoln heard
that he may have
to come in and be
a body double, his
trainers at the
local gym made
a fortune!
Trish is a dance
teacher. How
did you feel
about getting
into some Lycra?
Telly’s not that kind
to you when you’re
not a size 8, but
never mind, I’ve
got over that now.
I’m embracing
every tight Lycra
legging that they
throw at me.Are you into fitness anyway?
I’m not bothered about being
a size 8 or 10, I’m a 12 and a 14
on top because of my boobs.
Have I got a bit of a tummy?
Yes. Have I got dimples on my
bottom? Yes. I have all of those
things, but I’m OK with that and
I know how to maintain my
weight. For me, it’s
not about being
thin, it’s about
being healthy.
How do you stay
in shape?
I’m an ambassador
for LighterLife,
which I’m very
proud of. But did
I let my fitness
levels go downhill
in 2020? Without
a doubt. It’s
allowed me to
be lazy and
that’s something
I’m definitely
addressing
this January.If you could choose any
celebrity to join the Loose
Women panel, who would it be?
Kim Kardashian. Caitlyn Jenner- my new best friend in my mind
- came on Loose Women again
recently. I usually spend quite
a lot of time in Los Angeles, so
I’m definitely going to be staying
with Caitlyn – again in my own
mind! Victoria Beckham would
also be great.
How about your dream guest?
I got really excited a few months
ago as they told me we were
interviewing Tiger King’s Carole
Baskin. We were all desperately
excited. But Carole didn’t show
and they couldn’t get in touch
with her. At the time, she was
doing Dancing With The Stars
and my friend is one of the
producers. I phoned him
at 7am in America and said,
“Have you got any idea where
Carole Baskin is?!” He said,
“As if things couldn’t get any
weirder in 2020 – Denise
Welch is now ringing me
at 7 in the morning asking
where Carole Baskin
is.” [Laughs]
Why didn’t she show?
She said it was a mistake in her
schedule. We’re trying to get
her back on, she’d be great.
It’s a big box tick to interview
people like that.
Would Lincoln be up for being
a Loose Man?
Historically, he would have said
no. But he’s preparing to go into
Hollyoaks as a body double and
also, in the first lockdown, I did
a web series called Dun Breedin’
where our real-life partners
played our partners. Now he
thinks that whatever I do, he
should be in it.
He must be used to you spilling
secrets on the show...
He is, it took him a bit of getting
used to. These days I’m a little bit
Laughter is the
key to Denise and
Lincoln’s marriageShe’s a
happy
size 12-14