DENISE WELCH AND LINCOLN TOWNLEY OPEN THE DOORS OF THEIR HOLLYWOOD HOME TO OK!
‘LOOSE WOMEN’ PANELLIST DENISE WELCH AND HER HUSBAND, ACCLAIMED ARTIST LINCOLN TOWNLEY, TELL ok! ABOUT CONQUERING THEIR DEMONS
It’s a love story that could have been written for a Hollywood movie, but when Denise Welch met Lincoln Townley at 6am in a London nightclub nine years ago, little did they know how much their lives were about to change.
Back then Denise, now 61, was barely out of the tabloids, drinking excessively and often seen stumbling, bleary-eyed, out of bars. Meanwhile, Lincoln, 47, was soon to lose his home, his job as head of PR and marketing at Stringfellows, and was battling his own addictions. On paper it didn’t seem as if the pair could make it work.
But as the actress and Loose Women panellist looks out across their pool and the LA skyline from the patio of their fourbedroom Hollywood home, there’s no sign of that version of Denise, or Lincoln. Both are sober, healthy and very much in love.
Soon to be back on Loose Women and with many projects in the pipeline including a documentary about ‘late-life lesbians’ and a sketch show for the BBC, Denise’s career is full speed ahead.
Meanwhile, Lincoln has gone from virtually destitute to one of the world’s most sought after artists, with three studios and many celebrity fans including Ricky Gervais, Cate Blanchett and Sir Michael Caine. His paintings can sell for up to £1 million, have been shown at the prestigious Venice Biennale and he is currently filming a documentary about his work and process. All this and Sir Michael has even described Lincoln as ‘the next Andy Warhol’.
‘We got sober seven years ago and married six years ago,’ says former Coronation Street star Denise. ‘Lincoln’s said that the only good thing that came out of drinking was meeting me. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved together.’
Denise is also equally proud of her sons, Louis, 18, and Matthew, 30, and stepson Lewis, 28. Louis is an actor, while Matthew is the lead singer of Mercury Prize nominees The 1975, and he Facetimes Denise while she’s getting ready for our shoot. Matty, as she calls him, explains to his mum that he’s filming the band’s new video in London and Denise whoops with joy as she exclaims: ‘We’re both in makeup at the same time!’ Lincoln’s son Lewis works in post-production in London’s Soho.
Here, the couple talk to OK! about their strong partnership, Lincoln’s incredible success in the art world and Denise’s surprising connection to a contestant in this year’s Love Island…
Denise, what are you doing in Los Angeles... and don’t you have to be back in the UK for Loose Women soon?
We’re having a break. I recently toured the UK with Calendar Girls for nine months and I was exhausted. I needed to rest my weary bones and that’s what this trip has done for me. It’s great fun. I’ve got a lot of friends in Hollywood and now, at 61, I have new management here. But my love affair with LA goes back a long way. I’ve been visiting since the ’70s because my godfather, Ian Le Frenais [who wrote