NORTH East stars Denise Welch and Tim Healy have separated after 23 years of marriage.
Actress Denise made the announcement yesterday on ITV’s Loose Women, saying she split from the Benidorm actor “some time ago”.
The Celebrity Big Brother winner, 53, was forced to come clean after allegations surfaced that she committed adultery by engaging in two separate affairs with toyboy lovers, when in fact she was single the whole time.
She used an appearance on the chat show, which she co-hosts, to reveal the end of their marriage. The couple, who have two children, had been married for more than 23 years.
A tearful Denise said: “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 the press furore after I came out of Celebrity Big Brother naively took us by storm.
“There’s been nothing in the papers that my family didn’t know about. And I just wanted to say today to thank everybody for their support.”
Denise, who has starred in Coronation Street and Waterloo Road, added: “Tim and I feel a sense of relief that we don’t have to hide this any more.
“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.
“Tim and I are still going to be good parents, we love each other very much and we just don’t want to lie any more.
“The kids love us very much and they wanted me to do this today because if you do it via a newspaper or magazine they can use the wrong headlines and put it into the words that they want. They’re sick of me being annihilated for something. I’m not having an affair. I’m officially separated, but we did love each other very much.”
Last week the star insisted everything was fine with her marriage — despite allegations of two affairs.
She was previously married to former Brookside star David Easter, and appeared alongside Healy when they both featured in the cast of TV comedy-drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Recent weeks have seen County Durham-born Denise bare her soul – and much more besides – to the nation on television in Channel Five’s Celebrity Big Brother.
After a role in Soldier, Soldier, Denise became a star playing Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes in Coronation Street from 1997 to 2000. But it is her outspoken appearances on ITV’s Loose Women over the last 10 years that made her a household name.
Yesterday’s tearful admission on the show is the latest example of her candid approach to her private life. She has spoken of her battles with drink, drugs and depression and described in detail her tempestuous relationship with Tim and their regular alcohol-fuelled rows.
Denise and Tim are expected to appear on stage together on Sunday for the latest Sunday for Sammy gig at Newcastle City Hall. The show is organised by Tim in memory of North East actor Sammy Johnson, who died in 1998.
