Denise Welch says ‘it was incredibly hard’ as she addresses Coronation Street stint
Denise Welch has discussed the pressures of being part of the Coronation Street cast during the 1990s, and how society’s attitudes to mental health affected her decision to speak up
Denise played the role of Natalie Barnes(Image: ITV)
Loose Women star Denise Welch has spoken about the pressures of working on Coronation Street, in which she portrayed Natalie Barnes, whilst battling depression.
Denise, 67, has been an advocate for people struggling with their mental health for multiple decades, following her difficult stint on Corrie between 1997 and 2000.
Appearing on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, Denise discussed how the era’s attitude towards mental health meant she couldn’t just take a sick day.
She said: “I was in my late 30s when I was doing Coronation Street and it was an incredible job. You’ve got to remember it was the job that everybody wanted and I was very lucky to be there in the iconic days.
“It was the proper Corrie era, but it was incredibly hard work and I think coping with an intermittent illness, coping with a job that you couldn’t just ring up and say, ‘I can’t come in’.
“I mean I was used to that in theatre, but in Coronation Street you’re working seven in the morning until seven at night and bearing in mind, in those days, there was 21 million people watching an episode.”
Denise Welch(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Loose Women panellist Denise said that because a third of the UK was watching her and the other cast members every week, it meant she could barely go anywhere without being recognised.
She explained: “You couldn’t go anywhere, you were more famous than anybody, you could put any American movie star in the same supermarket as you and you’d be the one that was mobbed.
“It’s a third of the country watching you four times a week and you’re making the equivalent of two movies in a week.
“It was very hard work and now having an actual, what we used to call a nervous breakdown, I would have been kinder to myself, but I didn’t. Because then…I was one of the few people talking about it.”
Since breaking new ground in talking about her mental health on programmes like ITV’s Lorraine and Loose Women, Denise has continued to raise awareness and talk about her own experiences to inspire and aid others.
Denise Welch on Loose Women(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Last year, Denise appeared on the ADHD Chatter Podcast after receiving a diagnosis as an adult, before discussing her relationship with depression.
She said: “The way that my life runs is always to do with clinical depression, endogenous clinical depression as opposed to reactive clinical depression, which is, of course, what it says on the tin.
“That’s based on trauma or life events that cause you to go into a depression, whereas mine is more scary because it’s endogenous.
“So it just happens in the middle of a conversation or when I’m on a train or when I’m in an incredibly wonderful moment in my life and I suddenly feel a metallic taste in my mouth and a tingling in my palms.”
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
