Denise Welch has responded to criticism following her appearance on a US talk show where she commented on her son Matty Healy's brief relationship with Taylor Swift. The Loose Women star faced backlash after saying on Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen that she was glad not to be Swift's mother-in-law.
Welch quickly added: 'Not that I have anything against her at all! It was just - it was tricky.' She suggested the difficulty of commenting on Swift, as her fans would react negatively.
Viewers also criticised Welch for what they perceived as a change in her accent, claiming she sounded 'more posh' or adopted an American inflection. One viewer commented, 'So why has Denise completely changed her accent? She sounds so much more posh.'
Returning to Loose Women, Welch defended herself: 'You know, it really bugs me that, because in this country people go, 'Er she's lost her Geordie accent', I never talked like Gazza!' She demonstrated her natural Geordie accent, but co-stars remained unconvinced.
Welch admitted to picking up inflections from friends and her ex-husband Tim, recalling an incident in Australia where she answered the phone with an Australian accent after two days. Despite the backlash, she said she 'honestly loved' appearing on the show.
Welch also confirmed that her son Matty has taken Swift's album tracks 'all in completely good grace' and is now engaged to singer Gabbriette. 'So we've moved on,' she added.
