Denise Welch's rants and jibes over the years as notoriously opinionated Loose Women star targets her son Matty Healy's ex Taylor Swift

Daily Mail​

26-07-2025

Denise Welch is a huge hit on Loose Women, but her string of opinionated rants have divided opinion over the years.
The TV personality, 67, most recently took aim at her son Matty Healy 's ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift during an appearance on Bravo TV's Watch What Happens Live on Thursday.
Denise seemed to accuse Taylor's fans of lashing out at anyone who dares to criticise the hitmaker, despite the pop star taking personal digs at her exes in her songs.
When answering a question about her reaction to the Taylor's Tortured Poet album, Welch replied: 'Obviously, on pain of death can I talk about that episode, but being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost.'
Elsewhere, Denise has clashed with many of her Loose Woman co-stars over the years, including Kaye Adams and Stacey Solomon.
Her most famous rants have been about Covid-19 restrictions, Matt Hancock entering I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Clash with 'younger' co-stars on Loose Women
Denise made a not so subtle dig about her 'younger' co-stars on Loose Women following an on-air row with fellow panellist Stacey Solomon.
Denise and Stacey, 35, came to blows during a live episode which the actress later insisted wasn't a feud between the pair.
However, during a new podcast interview, Denise hinted at tensions between herself and her co-stars, especially younger panellists who join the show.
Speaking on Olivia Attwood's podcast, So Wrong It's Right, she said: 'I'm always happy to have new blood on because we do get bored of each other.
'But I've always been sceptical when younger people come in because, sometimes, they may have a great life story but they are either not prepared to talk about it yet, or are too worried about what the public are going to say.'
Revealing the backstage discussions, and added: 'So they'll be in a meeting saying "I'm not going to talk about that," and it's kind of like, "what are you gonna talk about then?"
Stacey, who joined in 2016, is one of the youngest members of the panel, alongside her co-stars Frankie Bridge, 35, and Katie Piper, 40.
During the debate, Stacey jumped to the defence of people who have been working from home since the Covid pandemic.
But Denise felt that the country was 'grinding to a halt' because staff had 'disappeared' from the workplace.
Stacey replied: 'They don't disappear because they're working from home,' but Denise insisted: 'But, where are they Stace?'
Stacey continued by saying the pandemic proved how many people were able to do an 'adequate if not better job from home'.
The duo failed to come to an agreement on the dispute, with viewers noting the palpable tension from home.
Kaye Adams
Denise and Kaye Adams locked horns during a fiery exchange on Loose Women.
The ladies were joined by a shocked Judi Love and Jane Moore on the panel as they debated whether the public should still follow Covid restrictions after Matt Hancock was caught breaking them himself.
The Health Secretary stepped down from his role on Saturday, a day after he was caught cheating on his wife - and breaking social distancing roles - in pictures showing him enjoying a passionate embrace with aide Gina Coladangelo.
Offering her own take on the situation, Denise, 63, said: 'I will no longer abide by rules that make absolutely no sense are not keeping me safe or my family safe.'
Kaye, 62, replied: 'That way lies anarchy! If we all make it up ourselves', to which Denise hit back, 'Maybe there needs to be a little bit of anarchy!'
As Kaye reasoned the country was facing the biggest health crisis we have faced post-war, Denise couldn't contain herself as she yelled: 'It's no longer the biggest health crisis – we have the vaccination!
'If the vaccination works, we have to move forward! If we continue to be covid-centric we are never going to recover the deaths and the undiagnosed illnesses that have happened'.
Not convinced by Denise's argument, Kaye countered: 'I respect your view, but at the end of the day I feel that we have no option but to put ourselves in the hands of some experts.
'To be brutal, if I've got to listen to you or Chris Whitty [Chief Medical Officer for England], I'm going to listen to Chris Whitty'.
Denise then snapped back: 'Well listen to Chris Whitty and be in lockdown forever then!'
After reading out tweets from viewers with an alternative view, Kaye warned, 'We really need to be careful about what we say in a public forum', to which Denise hit back, 'I'm sick of being careful about what I say!'
Gloria Hunniford
In June 2021, Denise had a furious row with Gloria Hunniford over Covid-19 restrictions shortly after the height of the pandemic.
Denise criticised the 'double standards' of the UK government after being unable to travel in an ambulance with her elderly father at the weekend.
After Denise blasted football fans for being able to gather in London , Gloria hit out: 'Hang on just one second. Not anyone in the country doesn't want lockdown to end and the double standards are very hard to understand.
'However, with the Indian virus in 24 hours there were 11,000 people confirmed.'
But Denise hit back: 'But there's no escalation in deaths, Gloria. When do we move on? There have been flatline deaths since April.
'A third of all councils across England and Wales haven't suffered a fatality since April. Give people their jobs and livelihoods back.
'We've got to move on from it. If vaccinations work, that's what we're doing. Not another month, another month.'
Reflecting on her own struggle to be with her father this weekend, she went on: 'I'm not allowed, double jabbed, to travel in an ambulance while this is going on with my father.
'We all saw the G7 photographs, the virtue-signalling people. It's the double standards.
'All of them there in masks at the beginning but immediately the cameras were off taking their masks off.'
It came after Denise furiously hit out at the UK government after she was stopped from travelling with her elderly father in an ambulance at the weekend, while football fans were allowed to line the streets.
Matt Hancock
Denise was left 'fuming' after it was sensationally revealed that Matt Hancock would take part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here in 2022.
The former Health Secretary, who quit after breaking his own lockdown rules by having an affair with long-time aide Gina Coladangelo, finished in third place and was paid £320k for his appearance.
The Loose Women panellist ripped into the MP for West Suffolk and 'couldn't find any humour' in his sign-up.
At the time, she said: 'I am fuming. I am fuming and I am disgusted and I cannot find any humour in this appointment at all.
'As far as I'm concerned, we are still suffering the repercussions of what happened over the last few years and I was very vocal about Covid restrictions, some being incredibly unnecessary and the impact that would have on people's lives, livelihoods and mental health.
'And Matt Hancock was at the forefront of those.
'We all know now that whilst we weren't allowed to see our granny and anybody - and I am included in this - who had a family member in hospital or in a home during Covid, my dad subsequently died of pneumonia, but nevertheless, I wasn't allowed to see him at certain times.
'And I live with the pain of that every day. And there are people who were not allowed to see their family for a year.
'Remember it was illegal to get in your car and go and visit a loved one.
'Even when we had vaccines that were supposed to free us, masks were working, we had tests. So we could say, "I will do a test before I go and visit my dad who is lonely in his house" - No!
'Whilst he was having an affair with some woman in the broom closet or wherever he was!
'And while the government from day one of this, were carrying on in Downing Street, what about if we weren't supposed to even pick up a book from the bookshelf in those ridiculous times.'
After Denise added that Matt is 'not a celebrity', she went on to say: 'I don't care whether he is a politician or whoever he is, he was the health secretary of this country. And he's going to go into there and pretend he's Mr Nice Guy.
'And what annoys me is that if one person - I tell you what, I have never envied people going into the jungle, I love the show and I'm a huge viewer.
'But I'd go in for nowt for one hour with Matt Hancock.'
Jane Moore
Loose Women descended into chaos after Denise and her co-star Jane Moore locked horns in heated row about Prince Harry.
The panel were discussing a leaked excerpt from his upcoming biography Spare, in which The Duke of Sussex accused his brother Prince William of physical attack.
Denise furiously defended Harry declaring herself 'team Harry and Meghan' but was met by resistance from Jane who described his accusations as 'hurtful.'
In his book The Duke of Sussex described a stand-up row that ended with the Prince of Wales grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, shattering a dog bowl with his back. William then allegedly declared: 'I didn't attack you, Harold'.
Denise told Jane she found it 'strange' that she was 'so against Harry and Meghan' given her years working as a royal correspondent.
'Why shouldn't Harry say his peace, Jane? I think he's had to move away from a family, they've done it behind his back,' she shot.
Jane cut in arguing that Harry was only looking 'to make money' before Denise fired back: 'Jane, you talked to me about interrupting.'
'The fact is the Royal Family make quite a bit of money themselves,' she continued.
'They have been leaking stories. We know they have. As soon as Meghan was seen as the People's Princess, that was game over, because William and Kate have to remain in those positions.
'Meghan was in those rooms on the global stage with charities, she didn't do that just when she got married to Harry.
'I think do what you like. Tell your story because I think it's absolutely the worst thing that's happened to them.'
'Tell your story but not sell your story. Is it blind support or do you accept that they've made some mistakes,' Jane responded.
Denise added: 'But I don't see anything wrong in him getting his wife out of this country.
'When they said they wanted privacy, they wanted privacy from other peoples' narrative, not from their own story. This is the only way they've got to tell it. I'm team Harry and Meghan.'
Taylor Swift
Denise appeared on the most recent episode of WWHL thanks to a run-in with host Andy Cohen on Loose Women, where he promised to let her come on the show.
She took a cautious tone after host Andy Cohen quizzed her about what it was like when Taylor — who has moved on with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — released her Tortured Poets Department album in 2024.
Fans have claimed that the 35-year-old singer, who is famous for using her romantic relationships as fodder for her songs, wrote several of the songs on the chart-topping album about her short-lived romance with Healy.
But Denise seemed to accuse Swift's fans of lashing out at anyone who dares to criticize the hitmaker, even as she takes ultra-personal digs at her exes in her massively popular songs.
In response to Andy's question about her reaction to the album, Denise replied: 'Obviously, on pain of death can I talk about that episode, but being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost.'
The confession elicited shocked gasps from the audience members, but Denise quickly tried to tamp them down.
'Not that I have anything against her at all!' she said emphatically over the awkward audience chatter.
'It was just — it was tricky,' Denise added.
The Celebrity Big Brother then paused before taking her chances speaking about Swift.
Denise seemed to suggested that Taylor's fans police any critical statements about the pop star, who is then free to settle scores via her songs.
'She — listen, you're not allowed to say anything, and then she writes a whole album about it,' Denisesaid.
But she clarified that her son — the frontman for The 1975 — is taking the aftermath of Taylor's album 'all in completely good grace.'
Denise also said Matty was 'very happy with his amazing fiancée Gabriella,' a model and singer who works under the name Gabbriette, whom she called 'gorgeous.'
'So, we've moved on,' Denise added to applause.
Taylor and Matty's 2023 relationship was among her most short-lived, but their mutual admiration and friendship went back years before.
Mia Farrow
Elsewhere during the same appearance on WWHL, an audience member asked Denise about her best and worst interview moments.
Denise didn't hold back as she responded: 'Probably Mia Farrow, who I adore and I literally was gobsmacked to have her on.
'But she just kind of didn't get it, you know when someone is just monosyllabic? So it was a difficult interview, maybe she was having a bad day but that just stands out as ''kill me now, get me out of here please''.'