Who is Matty Healy’s mother Denise Welch? Actress takes subtle jab at Taylor Swift over rumored failed romance with her son

Denise Welch appears to be throwing shade at Taylor Swift, seemingly in reaction to her son Matty Healy’s short-lived romance with the pop star.

The actress, 67, sat down for an interview on Watch What Happens Live on Thursday, where she was asked about what it was like when Taylor dropped her Tortured Poets Department album in 2024. As reported by The Daily Mail, fans have long suspected that several of the songs off that album were about her brief romance with The 1975's frontman.

'Obviously, on pain of death can I talk about that episode, but not being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost," Welch told Cohen. 'Not that I have anything against her at all!' she remarked as the crowd erupted into a wave of audible gasps. 'It was just — it was tricky,' Welch added.

Denise also slammed Swift's fan base for being protective over her, even if the singer “writes a whole album about it.”

“You’re not allowed to say anything, and then she writes a whole album about it,” she said. He’s very happy with his amazing fiancée Gabriella,” she added, referencing Matty's fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel. “So, we’ve moved on.”

Denise Welch is a well-known television personality who has spent decades in the spotlight. She is known for her unfiltered persona and has credits like Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Hollyoaks, and Soldier Soldier to her name. However, she has famously been on the panel for ITV's Loose Women for over 22 years, making it one of her defining attributes.

Denise Welch is also the author of three memoirs. In her latest one, 2020's The Unwelcome Visitor, she chronicles her life with clinical depression, and how she navigated the repercussions of drugs and alcohol as a conduit of escape. However, she has been sober for decades now.

Denise Welch opens up about her biggest regrets as a mother:

Denise Welch sat down for a candid interview with BBC News in February 2024, where she reflected on her previous reputation as a notorious party animal and where she is in her life these days:

"I can't even tell you how un-party animal I am. I am happiest at home with my husband, watching true crime on television with a takeaway. That is my dream."

However, she does acknowledge the impact her substance and cocaine abuse had on her and her loved ones:

"I've had to come to terms with my past and the behaviours that addiction take you into," she said. "And I am sorry to the people that I hurt because of my behaviour. With alcohol and drug addiction comes a lot of shame, because, the person I am now, I cannot believe some of the things that I did and some of the decisions I made. Or did I make those decisions, or were they just the result of what was happening to me at the time? But I've learned to forgive myself. I was medicating a terrible, terrible illness, in a way, for a short-term solution, which unfortunately then got a hold of me."

Denise Welch gave birth to her first son, Matthew, aka Matty Healy, about 36 years ago. During her appearance on the July 8 ITV panel, she broke down over motherhood and her biggest regret:

“When you do reflect you have to forgive yourself, we were all very busy and we didn't have a handbook. We did the best we could," she said. “I always get emotional. Because I wish I could re-do bits of, particularly, Matty's childhood, was coping with addictions and self-medication,” she added.

In the BBC article, Denise Welch echoed the sentiments as she reacted to her son's song, She Lays Down, which was about her.

"She's appalled by not loving me at all," he sang in the chorus. "She wears a frown and dressing gown, when she lays down."

She told the outlet that she was "heartbroken" to learn of the song, adding,

"If I hear it now, it makes me cry." Denise Welch went on, "What made me cry more than anything was his understanding of it. He's my son in so many ways - and he shares an understanding of my illness. As a teenager, he was around a lot of madness. But like he says, 'Yeah, but Mum, had the house not been a bit rock 'n' roll, I probably wouldn't be a rock star.' So there's pros and cons to it. But you have to make your peace with people - and addiction is a horrendous illness."

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