'EastEnders' Spoiler: Denise Welch Joins Soap As Kyle Slater's Mother | HuffPost

Denise is swapping the cobbles for Albert Square for a new acting role.

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Entertainment Editor

Denise Welch has landed a new part in ‘EastEnders’, which will see her put her at the heart of one of the soap’s biggest current storylines.

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The TV actress, who famously played Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes for three years in ‘Coronation Street’, has bagged the role of Alison Slater, the mother of Albert Square newcomer Kyle Slater.

Speaking about her short stint in ‘EastEnders’, Denise has gushed: “I'm thrilled to be part of such an iconic show. I have friends in the cast and can't wait to start.

"It's a short stint but such a powerful role and I'm thrilled to be taking it on."

Denise Welch

Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images

Although it’s not yet clear how long Alison will remain in Walford, it has been reported that Denise’s character will be revealed to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that her son is transgender.

A soap insider tells The Mirror: “Denise will star in a few episodes that see a lot of focus on her character… the storyline will follow her meeting Kyle for the first time. It will deal with very sensitive issues.”

Since winning ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ in 2012, Denise has left her recurring spot on the ‘Loose Women’ panel and returned to her first love of acting, appearing in a touring production of ‘Steel Magnolias’ and the new BBC sitcom, ‘Boy Meets Girl’, which was recently picked up for a second series.

Kyle told his half-sister he was transgender in emotional scenes earlier this week

BBC Pictures

Although Kyle - played by Riley Carter Millington, the first ever transgender actor to land a permanent role in a soap - first appeared in ‘EastEnders’ last year, his storyline has only been developed recently.

In Tuesday night’s episode, he was shown revealing his transgender status to his half-sister Stacey Slater, who previously insisted they couldn’t be related because all of her other siblings had been girls.

The scene was praised by viewers, who lauded the soap on Twitter for handling the story sensitively.

Stars Who've Switched Soaps

Denise Welch(01 of28)

Denise played Natalie Horrocks in 'Corrie' for 3 years and after brief flirtations with other shows, she returned to the world of soaps with a role in 'Waterloo Road'. (credit:WENN)

Jamie Lomas(02 of28)

Serial switcher Jamie Lomas starred in 'Coronation Street' and 'Hollyoaks', before taking his latest role as Jake Stone in 'EastEnders'. (credit:PA)

Claire King(03 of28)

After ten years as Dale Farm's resident bad girl Kim Tate, Claire left 'Emmerdale' and from 2005, starred as Claire in 'Hollyoaks'. (credit:Ben Stansall via Getty Images)

Ross Kemp(04 of28)

Yes, we all know Ross Kemp as EastEnders' hardman Grant Mitchell, but did you know he also in an episode of 'Emmerdale' in 1986? (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Michelle Collins(05 of28)

Michelle spent the best part of 10 years as 'EastEnders' character Cindy Beale. She later switched sides, moving to ITV's 'Coronation Street' to play barmaid Stella Price. (credit:Getty Images)

Angela Griffin (06 of28)

Angela Griffin is well-known for playing Corrie's Fiona Middleton in the '90s, but before that she made a brief appearance in 'Emmerdale', starring in two episodes. (credit:WENN)

Daniella Westbrook(07 of28)

Daniella Westbrook found fame as Walford's Sam Mitchell and in 2013, she signed up for a stint on 'Hollyoaks'. (credit:Getty Images)

Ben Hull(08 of28)

'Hollyoaks' actor Ben Hull has also appeared in one episode of 'Corrie' and four episodes of the now-defunct 'Brookside'. (credit:Myung Jung Kim/PA Archive)

Gillian Taylforth(09 of28)

Gillian Taylforth spent 15 years as Kathy Beale in 'EastEnders', though 'Hollyoaks' fans will recognise her as Sandy Roscoe. (credit:Getty Images)

Chris Bisson(10 of28)

Chris Bisson has been starring in 'Emmerdale' since 2009 but until 2002, he was known as Vikram Desai in 'Corrie'. (credit:Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images)

Anthony Quinlan (11 of28)

Anthony Quinlan was Hollyoaks' Gilly Roach for 6 years before leaving and, two years later, joining 'Emmerdale'. (credit:PA)

Sue Nicholls(12 of28)

Sue Nicholls spent four years in 'Crossroad' before joining 'Coronation Street' in 1979. (credit:Doug Peters)

Sherrie Hewson(13 of28)

Sherrie Hewson was Corrie's Maureen Naylor until 1997, when she left to star in the 2001 revival of daytime soap 'Crossroads'. (credit:WENN)

Nicola Stapleton(14 of28)

Nicola Stapleton has appeared in 'Doctors', 'Emmerdale' and 'EastEnders' - we can only assume a role in 'Corrie' is up next... (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Johnny Briggs (15 of28)

Johnny Briggs starred as Coronation Street's Mike Baldwin from 1976 to 2006, before leaving for pastures new.He then appeared in the short-lived ITV soap 'Echo Beach'. (credit:Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images)

Gaynor Faye(16 of28)

Gaynor Faye, who is currently starring in 'Emmerdale' as Megan Macey, played Corrie's Judy Mallett for 4 years in the '90s. (credit:WENN)

David Neilson(17 of28)

David Neilson is the instantly recognisable actor who plays Roy Cropper in 'Coronation Street' but soap superfans will know that he also made one brief appearance 'EastEnders'. (credit:Anna Gowthorpe/PA Archive)

Nikki Sanderson(18 of28)

Nikki Sanderson found fame as a teen in 'Corrie', and she can currently be seen playing Maxine Minniver in 'Hollyoaks'. (credit:WENN)

Denise Black(19 of28)

Denise Black was best-known as Corrie's Denise Osbourne until 2007.

After a stint treading the boards, she returned to Soapworld with a role in 'Emmerdale'. (credit:ITV)

James Sutton(20 of28)

James Sutton recently returned as the only McQueen brother on 'Hollyoaks', but during his time away from the Channel 4 soap he spent two years in 'Emmerdale'. (credit:Karwai Tang via Getty Images)

Chris Fountain(21 of28)

Chris Fountain had been starring on the small screen for just 3 years when he landed a role in 'Hollyoaks'. Years later he turned up in 'Corrie' as Tommy Duckworth. before leaving in 2013. (credit:Matt Crossick/Matt Crossick)

Zoe Lucker (22 of28)

Zoe Lucker many be best-known for her roles in 'Footballer's Wives', 'Bad Girls' and 'EastEnders', but she also made a brief appearance in the daytime soap 'Doctors' in 2000. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Dan O'Connor (23 of28)

Aussie star Dan O'Connor was a 'Neighbours' staple before jetting over to Blighty, where he starred as Ally Connor in 'Hollyoaks'. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)

Gemma Bissix(24 of28)

Gemma Bissix won plenty of awards as Hollyoaks' Claire, before channel-hopping across to 'EastEnders' to play a character with the same first name. (credit:Matt Crossick/Matt Crossick)

Sheree Murphy(25 of28)

Sheree Murphy received a lot of love in 'Emmerdale' and she's since jetted off to Australia, where she now appears in 'Neighbours'. She also played Eva Price in 'Hollyoaks'. (credit:AP/Invision)

Meg Johnson (26 of28)

Meg Johnson is a fan favourite as Pearl in 'Emmerdale', but she's more famous for playing Eunice Gee in 'Corrie' until 1999. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)

Gary Lucy (27 of28)

Gary Lucy went from from 'Hollyoaks' to 'EastEnders', via 'The Bill' and 'Footballer's Wives'. (credit:PA)

Emily Symons(28 of28)

Aussie actress Emily Symons became famous in 'Home and Away', before swapping Ramsey Street for 'Emmerdale'. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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