Denise’s biggest regrets
Actress Denise Welch talks about the toughest lessons she’s learnt, and why turning 60 will be bittersweet… Denise’s
Denise Welch’s fans know that the straight-talking actress always wears her heart on her sleeve.
Over the years, she has opened up about everything from her mental health struggles to the breakdown of her second marriage.
And, candid as ever, Denise, 59, has now confessed to the biggest regret in her past.
‘My problem... I now realise, was that I wasn’t kind enough to myself,’ she admitted.
‘ When I was playing Natalie Barnes in Coronation Street, I’d keep going at a point where I should have had time off. The result was that I had two nervous breakdowns,’ Denise added, talking of the ill effects of pushing herself too hard.
Yet there was one woman she could always turn to in times of trouble – her beloved mum, Annie.
The pair were incredibly close until Annie’s death from cancer in 2012 on the day that, heartbreakingly, fell on Denise’s 54th birthday.
Annie’s was a brave fight that had lasted for 20 years
The actress explained, ‘She brought me into the world and first held me on 22 May, 1958. I was holding her as she left the world on the same date in 2012. To me, that somehow completed the circle of life.’
And, with Denise’s milestone 60th birthday less than a year away, it will surely be bittersweet as she looks forward to a new decade, while looking back on the mum she misses so desperately.
Speaking previously about her loss, she said, ‘Sometimes you just need your mum – that never goes away. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her.’
Yet, along with her sister, Debbie, Denise is determined to keep Annie’s memory alive.
She recently explained, ‘Mum, who was incredibly glamorous, introduced me to Paloma Picasso Eau De Parfum. When she died, I remember going straight out to buy a bottle.
‘Now, Debbie and I wear it all the time. It’s so evocative – it just smells of Mum.’
What a touching tribute to a special lady.
‘Sometimes you just need your mum – that never goes away. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her’