Loose Women star Denise Welch delighted fans this week when she took to social media to share a throwback photograph from her childhood. The 61-year-old uploaded a snapshot on Instagram, showing her smiling for the camera as a schoolgirl, with a distinctive short haircut. Alongside the picture, she joked: "Wonder what happened to the basin my parents CLEARLY used to cut my hair!!! Wouldn't mind, they had 2 hairdressing shops!!!" The TV star shared the same photo over on her Twitter page too, writing: "When all my friends had long hair and swishy ponytails imagine my face when my mother approached me with a basin!!!"
Denise Welch shared a throwback photo with fans on social media
Denise's posts struck a chord with her fans. "I feel you. My mum used to sellotape my fringe to my forehead and then cut it!" one revealed. "I feel your pain Mrs, I was sent to school looking like a mushroom," a second joked. A third added: "Same. Until 2 weeks later and she did me a home perm…"
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It comes after Denise revealed a surprising royal connection on the show just last week. The panellist said that she once met Prince Andrew at a gala dinner – but admitted the encounter did not go well. Her recollection was part of a segment called 'Have We Lost Our Love for the Royals?', which saw Denise discussing the topic with colleagues Nadia Sawalha, Andrea McLean and Jane Moore.
The Loose Women star pictured with ex-husband Tim Healy
The Waterloo Road star recalled that she and her ex-husband, actor Tim Healy, were among a group of around 20 people invited to a royal gala, due to her work as vice president for a charity called The Western Spirit. She said that there was a cricketer sitting opposite her and that Prince Andrew was a couple of seats down. "Myself and this cricketer, who I won't name, had made a decision not to mention Princess Diana because she had only recently died. I had never met Diana but loved her so much and was mortified when she died, like a lot of people. Anyway, Prince Andrew was very keen to talk about her and he brought it up," Denise said.
"He started to say things that really, really upset me, that were very to me disrespectful to somebody he shouldn't have been sharing this information with." Denise didn't reveal her response but hinted that it had been an irritable one. "What did you say?" Nadia asked, looking concerned. "Back in the day, I liked a vodka or two, and all I can say is he got up to leave, walked around to the top of the table, put his hand on my then-husband's shoulder and said, 'Rather you than me, sir.'"