Denise Welch's Biography

Her godfather is Ian La Frenais.

After school she studied at Mountview Theatre School in North London.

Denise Welch appeared in several stage productions, including playing Sandy in Grease at the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester.

Her early TV credits include Auf Wiedersehen Pet; Byker Grove; playing Frances, the wife of Jimmy Nail's character in Spender; and playing Marsha Stubbs in ITV's Soldier Soldier.

Her single of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, which she sang on Soldier Soldier, was released as a double A-side along with Cry Me A River in 1995. It stayed in the UK charts for three weeks.

In 1997 Denise Welch was cast as Natalie Horrocks in Coronation Street. She revealed in her autobiography, Pulling Myself Together, that she had a cocaine problem at the time of her appearances in Coronation Street.

She stayed in the soap until 2000.

Denise Welch's other notable roles include playing French teacher Steph Haydock in the BBC's Waterloo Road.

She was married to actor Tim Healy and David Easter before marrying Lincoln Townley.

In 2011, Denise Welch was paired with Matt Evers on Dancing on Ice.

Denise and Matt came sixth on Dancing on Ice.

In 2012, Denise Welch won Celebrity Big Brother.

She has been a regular presenter on Loose Women.

In 2021, a man admitted stalking Denise Welch.

In 2022, the BBC announced that Denise Welch and Lincoln Townley would be one of the couples in a new series Unbreakable presented by Rob Beckett.

In 2024, she starred in The Gap, written by Jim Cartwright, at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester.