Denise from Loose Women shares the painful struggle that ‘ravaged her life’ | Celebrity News | Showbiz and TV

Much-loved Loose Women panelist Denise Welch, acclaimed actress and mental health advocate, has seen her fair share of life’s struggles. While she’s been open about her struggles with depression and her past alcohol addiction, there’s another challenge she hasn’t talked about much: her secret struggle with numbers, which once led to financial problems.

Now, as an ambassador for National Numeracy, Denise is tackling this issue head-on and wants to encourage others by sharing her own experiences. The star emphasizes two important points: first, if you’re struggling, it doesn’t mean you’re ‘fat’; and second, help is available.

Denise, 66, is now thriving in her career and personal life, enjoying a remarkable recovery from a serious mental health breakdown in 2019, and feeling the best she’s ever felt.

In conversation with OK! Magazine sh said, “If I could bottle how I feel right now, I would be a billionaire,” acknowledging her long-standing claims about the origins of her mental health issues. “I always knew the origins of my illness were hormonal, probably caused by childbirth. It took 20 years for anyone to accept that. I’ve been shouting from the rooftops about our mental health since 1991.

“In 2019, I had what we used to call a ‘breakdown’: I get tingling in my hands, the color drains from my life, I feel it coming on. And I decided for the first time to chronicle that episode, in real time. That I did for three days and when I got out of bed a few days later it had gone viral, I had even been on News At 10. It resonated.

That harrowing experience prompted Denise to write her book The Unwelcome Visitor, and since its release she feels a significant change has taken place, especially after becoming postmenopausal: “I haven’t had an episode since. I’ll say never again that it is ‘gone’. All I know is that for the first time in 35 years I don’t wake up with a fear of my illness. Something has righted itself. I don’t wake up with an unconscious fear, the constant story: ‘Do it I’m okay? S**t, it’s dark today, how will that affect me…’ That’s gone.’

Denise also talks about her husband Lincoln, her rock for the past eleven years. Despite it sounding ‘corny’, at the age of 51 she considers him the ‘foundation’ of her existence: ‘I feel so lucky that I met him later in my life. He’s my best friend, we make each other laugh and we have each other’s backs. The only thing I can thank alcohol for is that we met at a club late at night.”

Denise Welch has opened up about her personal triumphs and family joys, revealing how she and husband Lincoln Townley overcame adversity together, reports OK!.

She said: “We overcame all the negative press we got. Losing my mother early in our relationship could have caused me to start drinking again, but with Lincoln’s power, that didn’t happen. We live a life we ​​love. is good. I’m currently filming two new TV shows. I have a beautiful family, including my grandson Lincoln and I are each other’s anchors.

Denise, a Loose Women regular and active actress, is known for her candid opinions and emotional moments about her grandson. She attributes her long-lasting presence on the show to the love and respect she receives from the team.

Denise believes her personal growth has been significantly influenced by her time on air. “Loose Women has honestly helped me through the good, the bad, the really ugly, and now through the good again. I’m very grateful for the platform it has given me. Not many older women have a voice – this is a of the few shows in the country that honor them. We have women from 24 to 84 years old – where else do you get so many opinions and life experience,” she says.

As well as working on two confidential TV projects, Denise, a former Corrie star, has been appointed the new ambassador for National Numeracy. This case resonates deeply with her, as she has always struggled with numbers.

The charity contacted Denise after witnessing her discussing her numerical difficulties on Loose Women. “I’m not an authority, but I’m just sharing my own experiences,” she admits.

“I have always been terrified of math and numbers. It has plagued my life, my normal life. It scares me to this day and has gotten me into very difficult situations with money. I feel strongly about that National Numeracy tries to take the ‘fear’ out of math, so if I can help by sharing my story, I will.”

Denise’s struggles began in the classroom. As a child, she was a “speed reading champion” with a passion for English, but math terrified her. She recalls that seeing double math on her schedule would make her “vomit in the toilets just at the thought of it.” Denise also had an unfriendly teacher who, she says, would “target the 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 that?’ spoke a foreign language. But these things were not discussed at the time. I lost a nice job in a café when I was 18, because we had to do mental arithmetic. They loved me, but I worked too long at the cash register, so they had to let me to go. “

As she grew older and entered the world of showbiz, Denise only appeared on quiz shows where she wasn’t asked anything mathematical. Her fear of grades began to affect her life. She said: “There were mortgages, taxes, bills. I got myself into trouble early in my career by burying my head in the sand.”

The TV star confessed that she is fortunate to have support in dealing with her personal problems. She spoke candidly about past shame but is now urging others to seek guidance, stressing that support is available.

“Contact National Numeracy and they will help you with basic skills,” she advises. “Don’t be ashamed if you’re not good with numbers, because believe me, it’s not you! And that doesn’t mean you’re not incredibly smart, which is what I always thought. Ask for help, because those bills aren’t going away, they just pile up.”

With success both professionally and within her family, Denise has confidently confronted her previous source of stigma. Beaming with positivity, she shares: “I’m happy. Life is good!” and muses, “Isn’t that all anyone could ask for?”