It's over: but we're still friends insists Denise Pic: © Rex Features
Since Denise Welch won Celebrity Big Brother 2012 on January 27, the Loose Women star’s life has hit the headlines, amidst reports she had been having affairs.
Today, in an emotional outpouring on Loose Women, the blonde actress confirmed she split from husband Tim Healy "some time ago", insisting there’s nothing in the papers her family don’t already know about.
As she fought back tears, Denise said: “I just want to say, this is going to be really difficult for me, but the Loose Women audience over the years have given me so much support, as they have to all of us, so my family made a decision that we would talk about this today.
“Tim and I separated some time ago, and so I’m not having an affair, we’ve been living our own lives for some time now but because the press furore after I came out of Celebrity Big Brother naively took us by storm, but there’s been nothing in the papers that my family didn’t know about. And I just wanted to say today, to thank everyone for their support.”
Keen to stress that she is still extremely close to the Benidorm star, Denise continued: “Tim and I feel a sense of relief that we don’t have to hide this anymore. We’ve actually become better friends since we made the decision but we wanted to have Christmas with the family without telling anybody.
“I left the house last night to come to London with great hugs from Tim, great hugs from the boys saying how proud of me they were and we’re all just going to move forward as family. Tim and I are still going to be co-parents we love each other very much and we just don’t want to lie anymore.”
The couple do a great deal of work for charity and will continue to do so, as Denise explained: “I just hope you’ll support us next weekend we’re co hosting our big ‘Sunday for Sammy’ and the following week we’re doing something else.
"The kids love us very much and they wanted me to do this today because if you do it via a newspaper or magazine, then they can put it into their own words, but they’re sick of me being annihilated for something, I’m not having an affair, we’re officially separated but we do love each other very much so I just want to say thank you.”
Denise then broke down as the audience and her fellow Loose Women applauded her honesty.
Sherrie Hewson said: “You’re very brave and very honest.”
Denise’s relationship with Tim was thrown into question when a ‘friend’ of 39-year-old Lincoln Townley claimed the party planner had an affair with the star, in an article in the Sunday Mirror.
A few days later, The Sun newspaper reported that gay theatre producer Tom Hopkins also claimed to have had a ‘romp’ with the actress.
Denise’s announcement comes weeks after Loose Women host Andrea McLean announced she had separated from husband Steve Toms, leaving the family home on Boxing Day.
LET LOOSE
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