Denise Welch would drink to ‘take away the pain’ of depression amid 31-year mental health battle

Denise Welch revealed she used drinking as a way to ‘take away the pain’ as she struggled with depression.

In an excerpt from her new book, The Unwelcome Visitor: Depression and How I Survive It, the Loose Women panellist, 62, admitted on Thursday that she tried to fight her loneliness with alcohol but said it left her in ‘a dead zone.’

The TV star also claimed her depression got so bad at one stage while she was filming Coronation Street that she would hide in her dressing room or pretend to be asleep so that she wouldn’t have to interact with others.

In an excerpt of her book obtained by The Mirror, Denise explained: ‘Because of my mental illness, there were times I didn’t know if I was going to make it through.

‘Alcohol made things worse. I drank a lot, reaching for anything to take away the pain and keep me going… to lift the isolation and loneliness. It put me into kind of a dead zone. 

‘For the two or three hours I was actually consuming alcohol, it obliterated my illness. That is why so many people with depression drink.’

Denise was diagnosed with clinical depression after her first son, The 1975 frontman Matthew Healy, was born in 1989.

She went on say she wasn’t sure whether her alcoholism caused her depression or vice versa, as she claimed one problem feeds off the other.

The actress also explained that Princess Diana’s death in 1997 impacted her very deeply, causing her to ‘start wailing in grief’ and see everything as ‘red’ as she became consumed by terror.

Detailing several subsequent mental breakdowns, Denise added that she realised she needed help during a holiday in Turkey, and turned to fellow Corrie star Kevin Kennedy to help her get into AA.  

The ex-Waterloo Road star spoke candidly about her ‘unwelcome visitor’ and the challenge with trying to be ‘kinder’ to herself in a post shared to social media last September.

She also revealed her depressive episodes make the colour ‘drain out of her life’ within 30 seconds and leave her ‘dead behind the eyes’.

The media personality, who has been sober for eight years, previously turned to self medicating her depression with drink and drugs.

Despite saying her teenage son Louis, 19, considers their sober household ‘a bit boring’, she insisted she has more fun now than she did when she was drinking.

Denise said on Lorraine back in 2018: ‘We’re very open about it. Obviously Louis grows up in a sober household which I’m sure he thinks is a bit boring sometimes, when I don’t want turn a blind eye to parties of 84 people traipsing through my house.

‘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.’ 

The Unwelcome Visitor: Depression and How I Survive It comes out on June 25.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local branch or go to www.samaritans.org. Anyone battling similar issues should contact AA on: 0800 917 7650 Email helpline: [email protected].