Denise Welch exuded body confidence as she posed in her bikini for an Instagram photo this week. The 59-year-old, who is currently enjoying a sunshine break with her husband Lincoln Townley, uploaded the holiday snapshot on her Twitter account on Sunday, and was quickly inundated with compliments from her fans. Denise lost two stone back in 2014, and now has a renewed sense of pride in her body. Speaking recently to the Mirror, she said: "I posed in a bikini, not to say, 'Look at me, a women nearly 60 in a bikini.' I'd rather die than do that. I did it to promote body positivity. I'm a real advocate of mental well-being because of my own struggles.
TV star Denise Welch wowed fans with her bikini photo
"I say, 'Look, I'm a size 12 not an 8. I've got a tummy and cellulite. I've had kids, but you know what? I don't think I look too bad for a 59-year-old." The TV star, who has battled depression for 28 years and also fought alcohol addiction, added: "Let nobody tell you that you can't wear a bikini after 50 – you can be 97 and still wear a bikini."
Denise's bikini post comes after she claimed she was "air-brushed" from Loose Women's recent 18th birthday celebrations. The presenter, who was a panellist on the talk show for ten years, took to Twitter to voice her unhappiness at not being included. She tweeted: "Thank you all for asking. I'm in Greece having a wonderful time. But no, I wasn't asked to be part of @loosewomen celebrations. It was time for me to leave 4 years ago, but sad to have been airbrushed when you shared your life for 10 years."
Denise and Carol McGiffin appeared together on Loose Women
She's not the only one who has spoken out about the celebrations. Carol McGiffin, who made more than 1,000 appearance on the show, was also not invited to take part. Responding to a fan on Twitter, Carol wrote: "Don't be daft, I only did 13 years and over 1,000 shows, why would I even be asked???!!!"
Denise and Carol both left Loose Women in 2013, with Denise explaining that she was upset about changes being made to the ITV show. "Every show needs a shake-up," she told the Mirror. "But the way the show's going, I've felt that my wings have been clipped. I feel the way the show is going is losing the fun of it."