DENISE Welch says she has finally admitted to herself that she was an
alcoholic.
The Loose Women star, 54, says that her fiancé’s recent heart scare forced her
to take a good look at her lifestyle and made her realise she did have a
drinking problem.
Former party animal Denise was spurred to quit the booze last July after her
toyboy lover Lincoln Townley, 40, filmed her rowing with him and being
abusive after a drunken night out.
But she says she never really thought she was an alcoholic until Lincoln
collapsed at the couple’s home in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, last week with
what she feared was a heart attack and she began thinking about her old way
of her life.
Denise told a Sunday newspaper: “We gave up drinking together because we
wanted to be healthier – but looking back we were both alcoholics.
“We just never admitted it to ourselves.
“We used to drink every night and I got to a point where waking up with a
hangover felt normal.
“I’d forgotten what it was like to have a clear head.
“People think an alcoholic is someone who hides bottles and has vodka for
breakfast but there are different kinds of alcoholics.
“When you become powerless over alcohol after one drink, when you lose days,
weeks and years to it, and when you hurt those you love through drinking,
you’re an alcoholic, too.
“That was me and Lincoln, without a doubt.”
Lincoln collapsed clutching his chest on Wednesday as the couple discussed the
guest list for their upcoming wedding in Portugal in June.
Denise said: “He went completely white and crumpled on the sofa, putting his
head in his hands. He looked deathly.
“I could see he was in pain and struggling for breath. He just kept saying, ‘I
can’t breathe’. I thought I was losing him.”
Doctors later revealed that Lincoln had suffered a “panic seizure”
and thankfully there was no damage to his heart.
Now Denise insists her partying days are behind her and she just wants to
enjoy every day she has with Lincoln and their children.
She added: “We have three wonderful boys between us, and we both want to be
around for as long as possible to spend time with them, and with each other.
“This has made me realise how precious every day is. I’m putting drinking and
partying behind me for ever.
“I just want to enjoy Lincoln and good health for as long as I can.”