Denise Welch isn't afraid to open up about her marriage with her husband Lincoln Townley to her fellow Loose Women, but she has recently admitted that they were both "at rock bottom" when they started their relationship.
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The TV star, 64, wed artist Lincoln, 49, in a private villa on the Algarve in 2013, with the bride opting for a beautiful lemon-coloured raw silk and Chantilly lace gown made by Sharon Bowen. Denise has continued to share loved-up photos and tributes to him since then, but she told Platinum Magazine that she was battling "fear" caused by alcoholism and depression, and he was "fighting his own demons" when they met.
WATCH: Denise Welch speaks out about clinical depression
"Nobody gave us a cat in hell’s chance. How many people go on to have a successful nine-year marriage after meeting in those circumstances?" she said. "That feeling of fear grips you. We were at rock bottom," Denise added, before crediting Lincoln for helping her become sober.
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"We say we saved each other’s lives. When you get sober, you have to have an anchor and for some people that’s AA, for some people, it’s other support groups. For Lincoln and me, it was each other.
Denise and Lincoln tied the knot in Portugal in 2013
"Becoming sober with Lincoln is the thing I’m most proud of because it’s given us a marriage that is the bedrock of our lives, but also it’s the ripple effect of sobriety, of how it affects and impacts on those who love us. Being sober and in control of our lives has given the three sons we have together the wings to fly."
Denise admitted she was struggling with alcoholism and depression when she met her third husband
Denise similarly described Lincoln as her "anchor" when opening up about her marriage during an interview with HELLO!. She said: "We were party animals, two people in a mess, when we first met. My marriage was in freefall and I was drinking too much. Being with Lincoln could have been the most explosive disaster, but it went the opposite way. We've been each other's anchor."
The former Benidorm star was previously married to David Easter between 1985 and 1988, and Tim Healy from 1988 to 2012. She shares her two children, The 1975 lead singer Matthew, 33, and Louis, 21, with Tim, while Lincoln is father to son Lewis from a previous relationship.
The Loose Women star opened up about her relationship in the August issue of Platinum
Denise candidly spoke about the "guilt and shame" she felt about being emotionally absent when it came to raising her children, as a result of her drinking.
"We’ve had many talks about how my drinking affected him and he felt very sad and sorry for me," she said in her latest chat with Platinum. "Now he’s just so thrilled. The 1975 is a globally successful band, which he says wouldn’t have been possible if he had been constantly worried about me."
Read the full interview in the August 2022 issue of Platinum – out now.
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