Yahoo News Loose Women's Denise Welch says Celebrity Big Brother damaged reputation
The actor and TV presenter said it was very hard to come back from the 'rough deal' of her Big Brother experience - even though she won the series.
Watch Loose Women's Denise Welch says Celebrity Big Brother damaged reputation
What did you miss?
Denise Welch has said she found it "very, very hard" to shake off the bad reputation she gained by appearing in Celebrity Big Brother - even though she won the series.
The Loose Women took part in the ninth series reality TV show in 2012 and claimed she was treated like a public enemy after accepting a dare to run around the garden topless at the age of 52.
The former Coronation Street star said she felt she had a "rough deal" after appearing in the show and that her win had been "a bit of a hollow victory". But she jokingly wished all the celebrities entering the Big Brother house for the new ITV reboot the best of luck.
What, how, and why?
Actor and TV presenter Welch, 65, was voted the winner of Celebrity Big Brother by viewers of the Channel 5 version of the reality series in 2012. But she claimed she felt vilified after her appearance on the show and feared her acting career would never recover.
Welsh told the Loose Women panel: "I made the mistake, not drunk, they didn't give you enough drink for me to get drunk. It was like an aperitif in there. But I was dared when we were in the hot tub one night, because I was known for flashing my bra and flashing my boobs as a sort of funny thing. And I ran around the garden topless. But because I was 52 I was treated like [terrorist] Osama Bin Laden when I came out of there."
She went on: "And also somebody that I trusted was selling stories, so I felt I had a really rough deal. So to some degree, certainly from an acting point of view, it was very, very, very hard for me to come back from those things, because I seemed to have this target on my back. And other people, who are still on television, were living a far racier life and yet they seemed to be like Teflon."
Welch said while Celebrity Big Brother was not physically demanding, it had messed with her mind.
She explained: "A lack of sleep or lack of food, wasn't the issue when I was in there. It was the fact that the dynamic changes as every single person is evicted. The only real life you ever hear is when those doors open at night.
"And I was in there with someone who was horrible and therefore when that person is cheered and stays in but someone that you like is evicted, you're not thinking 'Ooh they love me, I'm still here.' You're thinking everybody's enjoying the being horrible to you. So it really plays with your psyche, It was quite a stressful time." Welch quipped ahead of the new series starting: "But good luck everybody! Enjoy!"
What else happened on Loose Women?
Fellow Loose Woman Coleen Nolan, who took part in the show twice, admitted she gets still shivers down her spine just hearing the Big Brother theme tune.
Nolan, 58, was runner-up on the 13th series in 2012 and won the 19th series five years later. She said: "As soon as I hear it a go [gasps]. It was an experience. And it's much harder than you think. People go 'It's not hard, you're just sitting in a house for 24 hours a day. That's not hard.'
"Physically no it's not. Mentally, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. Because you are stripped of everything of real life. Music, writing, reading books, your loved ones, for weeks on end. And living and sleeping with total strangers, and different personalities. And they keep blasting you with really mean trials."
She added: "I loved it the first time. It was three weeks. Second time was five weeks and there was 20 people in there."
Celebrity Big Brother starts on 4 March at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.
Loose Women airs on ITV at 12.30pm on weekdays.
