Denise Welch is returning to her roots in the North West as she teases a new job after her success with Channel 4's popular thriller Tip Toe.
The 68-year-old actress is no stranger to the screen, having appeared in all four major British soaps. One of her most memorable roles was as Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes on Coronation Street between 1997 and 2000. Fans also know her as Steph Haydock in the hit BBC series Waterloo Road, a role she reprised after 15 years away from the show. Originally starring as Head Teacher, she returned as a supply teacher during a teacher shortage.
Denise recently appeared in the new Channel 4 thriller drama Tip Toe, which follows Leo and Clive, who have lived next door to each other in Manchester for almost 15 years. But just as life should be settling down, the world around them grows more tense. Words become weapons, opinions become radicalised, and gradually, two neighbours become deadly enemies in a tense, suburban thriller that challenges everything we consider to be safe.
Denise plays the role of Diane, who appears in the third episode of Tip Toe. Describing Diane, Denise shared: "Diane finds herself on her own at 67, but still with her needs and her desires. It's so important to see women in that way. We're so used to seeing the nana roles, forgetting that we still want to remain sexually active."
Speaking with the Manchester Evening News on the red carpet, she continued: "I'm only in it for one episode, episode three the best one. I am a nana in real life and I love it, but we are so much more than that." She added: "Manchester is my home, I've been welcomed on Canal Street from way back when I was in Coronation Street."
Denise then shared that this series was made with urgency, saying: "It is needed right now and that's why everyone was rushing urgently so it would be ready for right now. No one knows how to have a conversation anymore... There's so many people I go, if I had a conversation with you then you'd understand. That's what we're missing."
Denise Welch teases new job in Newcastle
Taking to her Instagram, Denise teased her next job as she returns to her roots in the North East. She penned: "Loving working in Newcastle with @izzysorbs What a hoot!!"
It comes after she also wrapped up filming a new six-part series on Channel 5 called Forever Home, also filmed in the North East. It will arrive on our screens later this year and is based on one of Graham Norton's best-selling novels. The story follows a wife who makes a horrifying discovery that makes her begin to suspect that her husband could be a murderer.
Channel 5's official synopsis tells viewers what they can expect from central character Carol Crottie after she finds a body in her basement. At the time, Denise said: "The north east will always be my Forever Home so to make a series there with this title was the perfect job for me. Filmed in beautiful Northumberland surrounded by Geordies was as good as it gets. Cast and crew, none of us wanted it to end. I hope you'll enjoy what we created as we're very proud of it."
