Matty Healy's mother, Denise Welch, risked the ire of Swifties everywhere when she shaded her son's ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift in July 2025. The U.K. actress and TV host was surprisingly blunt during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen when asked how she felt about Swift purportedly writing about her split from Healy on her 2024, album The Tortured Poets Department. "Obviously, on pain of death, can I talk about that episode, but not being her mother-in-law is a role that I'm glad that I lost," Welch admitted, before adding: "Not that I have anything against her at all. It was just - it was tricky." Welch complained that Swift's ex-boyfriends often are "not allowed to say anything, and then she writes a whole album." She added: "Matty has taken it all in completely good grace. He's very happy with his amazing fiancée, Gabriella, Gabbriette, who is gorgeous." Taylor Swift's Relationship With Matty Healy: Everything to Know It's probably no surprise that Welch is well known in the U.K. for sharing her candid opinions on and off for 20 years on Loose Women, the British equivalent of The View. Keep scrolling for five things to know about Welch: 1. Soap Icon Welch got her start in the entertainment industry in the early 1980s as an actress with a series of minor roles in hit shows Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Byker Grove. After landing a leading part in crime drama Spender in 1991, she joined a U.K. TV institution in 1997 with her casting in Coronation Street. (The prime time soap has aired continuously on British TV since 1960 and has helped launch the careers of international stars such as Fool Me Once's Michelle Keegan, Peaky Blinders actor Stephen Graham and Absolutely Fabulous icon Joanna Lumley, among many others.) Welch spent four years playing temptress Natalie Barnes before announcing in 2000 that she was quitting Coronation Street as part of the soap's 40th anniversary festivities. "I never intended to stay forever," she said at the time. "Four years in one job is a long time for me and I just felt like it was time to leave. I won't miss Natalie's traumas or the constant crying. Let's face it, she has been through the mill." Welch has remained a fixture of the U.K. soap scene, having landed recurring stints in Hollyoaks and Emmerdale as well as making a prominent guest appearance in the BBC's EastEnders in 2016. 2. Loose Woman Five years after leaving Coronation Street, Welch made the jump to daytime TV as a recurring panelist on Loose Women in 2005. Much like its American predecessor The View, ITV's panel show features a revolving group of hosts interviewing celebrities and discussing the day's hot topics. Welch quickly earned a reputation as one of the most outspoken panelists on Loose Women. Her fiery personality led to on-air clashes with many of her cohosts, though Welch insisted in 2025 that the cast remain bonded despite their disagreements. "There's life in these old girls yet," she told The Mirror. "We don't care what Doris from Darlington on Twitter says. We've worn every T-shirt, we've rewashed it and re-ironed it and put it back in the drawer. Older women's voices are so important, and I'm very proud to be a part of a show that continues to celebrate that." The Loose Women cohost added, "I'm very proud to be part of [the show] - and not just because it's a female-led show, because our age range ranges from 25 to 85! We've got GK Barry at 25 and Gloria [Hunniford] at 85. What other show not only employs older women [but] reveres and celebrates the voices of older women." Denise Welch and the cast of 'Loose Women in January 2020. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images That's not to say it has been entirely smooth sailing for Welch on Loose Women, as she made headlines in 2013 by quitting the daytime show amid a format overhaul. "I've quit. I was hurt that changes were made and kept a secret, and that the person responsible for the decisions hadn't come and talked to me about it," Welch told the Sunday Mirror. "She must have known how I felt. When you have invested ten years in a job our views should mean something and our feelings should be taken into account." She continued, "Every show needs a shake-up. But the way the show's going I've felt that my wings have been clipped. Fundamentally the fun of the show is what made it for me, and I feel the way it's going is losing the fun of it." Welch was brought back to Loose Women in 2018 after five years away and has been a mainstay on the ITV show ever since. 3. Fierce Defender of the Sussexes One of Welch's most controversial stances on Loose Women is her consistent defense of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry from U.K. press intrusion - even referring to Markle as "the most bullied woman in this world" at one point. Welch was a rare voice in the British media to have taken Markle's side during her highly-publicized falling out with Buckingham Palace and move to the U.S. in 2020. As a result of her outspoken support of the Sussex