An actress, a presenter, a ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ champ, not to mention a serial flasher, there isn’t much Denzy hasn’t done the in three decades she’s been on our screens.
With that in mind, we believe wor Geordie lass is more than deserving of the title of the true Angel of the North, and here are all the times she’s proved that...
1. She is responsible for the single best celebrity photo of all time
2. Her topless hot tub moment with in the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house went down in reality TV history
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Channel 5
3. Her womance with Carol McGiffin is ultimate friendship goals
4. She totally out-shone global superstar Britney Spears when she interviewed her on ‘Loose Women’
“I’ve always felt that although I’m a few years older than you, I have quite a lot in common with you. Obviously we’re both mums, we’re both global superstars, and clearly both femme fatales.”
This was Britney’s reaction:
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ITV
5. But, like, she clearly is a femme fatale
6. She doesn’t put up with any of the shit Katie Hopkins et al stand for
7. As part of Nanas Aloud, she brought us three joyful minutes of television during 2010’s Children In Need
8. Cheryl eat your heart out
9. It’s not the first time she’s been compared to ‘wor Chezza’
10. And while her turn in Nanas Aloud may suggest Denzy doesn’t have the strongest voice, she actually had a number 23 smash in 1993
11. And let’s not forget her appearance on the celebrity version of ‘Stars In Their Eyes’, when she impersonated Petula Clark
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ITV/REX/Shutterstock
12. Nanas Aloud isn’t the only girlband she’s been a part of either
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YouTube
13. She’s worked tirelessly to end stigma around mental health issues, having suffered from clinical depression herself
“'Snap out of it, pull yourself together'. People say it, or think it, a lot. It’s the most pointless comment, because if you could snap out of it you would, wouldn’t you? I was lucky, my family never doubted I had anything other than a serious illness, but it was hard for my husband. He’d go to the pub and his mates would say, 'Bloody hell, how long is that going to go on, take her out and buy her a new dress.' Unless you’ve experienced it, it’s almost impossible to really understand mental illness. You can’t explain clinical depression to anybody.”
- Denise Welch
14. She’s one of few actresses who has had the honour of starring in two of the nation’s best loved soaps
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ITV/Rex/Shutterstock/BBC
15. Remember the time she turned up to an event dressed as a can of Lilt?
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Lilt/Craig Sugden
16. And where do we even start with this?
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WENN
17. Her stint on ‘Dancing On Ice’ was legendary (and not just because of her array of wigs)
18. She’s parent to the lead singer of the biggest band in the country right now, but that doesn’t stop her from being an embarrassing mum
19. But she also could not be prouder of her boy and all of his success
20. Although we’re not too sure The 1975 would have hit it quite as big if they’d gone with Denise’s suggestion for a name
21. After realising she had a problem with alcohol, she turned her life around
“Ultimately, it’s got to be a good thing and being sober doesn’t mean being boring, I have more fun than I’ve ever had now than when I was drinking.”
- Denise Welch
22. She’s never afraid to say what she really thinks
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Channel 5
23. She also once gave her own Christmas message, because let’s be real, she is a true queen 👑
WHAT A WOMAN
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Splash/ITV
12 Stars You'd Forgotten Were 'Loose Women'
Karren Brady(01 of12)
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Long before she was answering to Lord Sugar, The Apprentice star Karren was letting loose on the ITV daytime show.
She was one of the original line-up of ladies, appearing on the first episode in 1999.
And while her stint was short-lived, ending just a year later, Karren returned to the panel for an anniversary special in 2017, along with the rest of the women who appeared on that very first show. (credit:REX)
Kerry Katona(02 of12)
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Back when she was Kerry McFadden (those were the days, eh?), the Atomic Kitten singer appeared as a panelist between 2003 and 2004.
She was only 23 when she joined the show, making her the youngest Loose Woman regular ever, and her sometimes naive outlook on life meant she often clashed with Sherrie Hewson, providing many hilarious moments. (credit:REX)
Nina Wadia(03 of12)
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She's best known for playing the opinionated Zainab Masood in EastEnders, but Nina offered up plenty of opinions of her own when she appeared as a series regular between 2005 and 2006. (credit:REX)
Gillian Taylforth(04 of12)
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Another EastEnder who graced the Loose Women panel was Gillian Taylforth – better known as Walford's Kathy Beale.
The actress enjoyed two stints as a Loose lady, first in 2006 and again in 2008. (credit:REX)
Cilla Black(05 of12)
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While the late Cilla will be remembered for her huge TV hits Blind Date and Surprise Surprise, her last regular TV gig was actually as a Loose Woman.
She appeared first as a guest anchor in 2009 and was invited back as a regular panelist between 2010 and 2011, returning for a final appearance in 2014. (credit:REX)
Sarah Millican(06 of12)
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In our humble opinion, Sarah's tenure as a Loose Woman was simply not long enough.
The comic only appeared as a panelist for less than a year in 2011, before leaving to concentrate on her stand-up career. (credit:REX)
Beverley Callard(07 of12)
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During one of her many breaks from Coronation Street, Beverley (aka Liz McDonald) took up a seat behind the famous desk in 2010. (credit:REX)
Kym Marsh(08 of12)
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While Kym has recently enjoyed a few turns as a guest panellist, many have forgotten her original stint as a regular on the show in 2005, back when she sported an interesting (if that's the right word?) set of hair extensions. (credit:REX)
Claire Sweeney(09 of12)
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The former Brookside actress enjoyed over two years on the panel back in 2003, and later returned for six episodes in 2010, and a further two in 2012. (credit:REX)
Sheree Murphy(10 of12)
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Sheree was a welcome addition to the panel in 2006, after she finished playing Emmerdale's much-loved Tricia Dingle. While she left in 2007, she later returned as a guest panellist for an episode in 2015. (credit:REX)
Claire Richards(11 of12)
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After the departure of many of Loose Women's biggest names in 2013 and 2014, Steps singer Claire made a string of guest appearances. She impressed bosses so much, she was soon promoted to a regular.
However, a massive revamp of the show in the September of 2014 saw her leave the show with no explanation. (credit:REX)
Jenny Powell(12 of12)
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The Wheel Of Fortune assistant was finally given a break from turning around letters on a board in 2004, when she joined the Loose Women panel for a year. (credit:ITV)