Matty Healy will be playing Glastonbury with The 1975, but his mum Denise Welch says he was ‘horrified’ by her life in the public eye growing up

Denise Welch says Matty Healy was ‘horrified’ by fame (Image: (Image: INSTAGRAM))

Loose Women panellist Denise Welch revealed her son Matty Healy was “horrified” by one “dreadful” part of her life. The former soapstar shares the 1975 frontman with ex-husband Tim Healy.

Denise says Matty and his brother Louis grew up understanding life in the public eye. While Denise has regularly appeared on Loose Women since 2000, she has also appeared on a host of TV shows, including The Bill and Hollyoaks.

Tim has appeared on shows such as Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Benidorm. Denise explains it meant that Matty and Louis had experienced both the trials and tribulations of fame as youngsters.

Speaking on Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right podcast, Denise said: “Neither of my children have ever seen fame as something to be chased. It has quite horrified them to be honest, they’ve always known that if you make a success of their chosen profession, which is music and acting, that fame will be a natural end result if you become successful.

“But it has never been a desire to become famous because they have grown up with parents and seen the great side of our industry but also the dreadful side of our industry. And Matthew in particular because he was a teen growing up when all of my headlines and stuff were happening.”

Denise says Matty new being a succesful musician would make him famous (Image: Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
While Matty was prepared for success, Denise says she was unable to prepare her son for international stardom, admitting she isn’t recognised for her own career in the United States. She explained: “No one can prepare you for international fame, because I don’t have it.

“If I’m recognised in America it’s because of Matty not because of me.” Mimicking a US accent, she added: “‘Oh my god, it’s Matty’s mom, it’s Matty’s mom’.”

Denise opened up about her own struggles throughout her life. She has previously spoken out about her problems with depression, alcohol and drugs.

Denise Welch on Loose Women (Image: ITV)
She has previously spoken about how their house was “a bit rock and roll”. Although she worried if her behaviour had an impact on her son.

She said: “I did lots of things wrong and you know, Matty and I, we had to have a come to Jesus about things that I was in denial about, how my behaviours have impacted on him. But he has also said ‘but then again mum, if our house wasn’t a bit rock and roll, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.

“But you have to take accountability and I was very defensive. All alcoholics are very defensive and all alcoholics, when pushed into a corner, will blame somebody else for why that has happened to them, ‘it’s my illness, it’s because of this, it’s because I was getting a divorce’, it’s not, there are not excuses, there are reasons.”

Denise, and husband Lincoln Townley, made the decision to go sober in 2013. Matty will be taking to the stage at Glastonbury later today (June 27) with The 1975.

The band will be headlining the iconic Pyramid Stage. The festival will be broadcast live on BBC One, with coverage of The 1975’s set to air between 10.30pm and midnight.