Denise Welch ‘wished she had cancer’ during darkest days of depression
The TV regular, who previously starred in Coronation Street, has bravely recalled the moment she was overcome with post natal depression following the birth of her son, The 1975 frontman Matty.
Chatting frankly on Dr Christian’s Second Opinion podcast, Denise, 60, explained: “My post natal depression illness was very severe.
“From the start, those around me never considered this to be anything other than a serious illness.
“If I hadn’t had that support, I can honestly say I don’t know what the outcome would have been because if you think life will be like that for ever more and you don’t have people telling you it won’t.”
The Loose Women panellist continued: “I can remember sitting there feeling disconnected.
“After a few days at home [after the birth] I had a massive panic attack and the whole lactation process stopped.
“This blackness started at my feet and rose like a physical blanket and the colour went from my life and the joy had gone.
“I lost 1.5st in a fortnight… It was the most horrific experience.”
“It robs you of the ability to love as you feel nothing”
Denise Welch
Not stopping there, the former Celebrity Big Brother star bravely went on to reveal she pined for an illness doctors could relate to and sympathise with.
Denise said: “It robs you of the ability to love.
“I used to lay down next to Matty and pray to the universe I could love my child… It robs you of the ability to love as you feel nothing.
“I remember saying I wish I had cancer, and it’s an awful thing to say and I lost my mum to cancer, but the reason I said that is that you might not know what it feels like to have cancer but your sympathy and your empathy is immediately with me.
“That is what I said when I was so desperate once. I wanted an illness.
“I wanted them to say, ‘Here is the tablet that will make you better,’ no matter what the condition was – even if it was terminal – I wanted them to say, ‘This might make you better or we can try this.'”
Throughout her career Denise has campaigned for greater mental health awareness and support.
She is currently an ambassador for mental health charity Mind.
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