Loose Women favourite Denise Welch starred on Olivia Attwood’s So Wrong It’s Right podcast today, August 29, where she gave viewers a candid glimpse into an extremely difficult period in her life.

The opinionated Loose Women star admitted that a scandal she was embroiled in caused a ripple effect throughout her family. Consequently, negatively impacting her relationships.

Denise Welch opened up to fellow Loose Women star Olivia Attwood (Credit: Youtube)
Loose Women star Denise Welch opens up about phone hacking

In an emotional confession Denise has shared just how much phone hacking warped her ability to trust. Discussing the dark side of fame, she explained: “I was hacked for many years when we didn’t know about hacking. Which was one of the worst experiences of my life.”

Explaining how a tabloid newspaper hacked her phone, Denise said: “They not only hacked my phone – obviously the people at The Mirror now are completely different and my relationship is very good with them now – but then, it was 2001 to 2007. So, I had just had a new baby as well, who was poorly.

“They not only hacked my phone – and this is all on the records, been in court, I’ve got all my payout and all that malarky – they not only hacked my phone, they put bugs in my hotel room on two occasions.”

Denise continued: “Paps have told me since that I had a massive target on my back. Olivia, believe you me, a lot of the headlines I have had over the years I’ve deserved. But a lot of them, absolutely I have not. That was because I had this target. I was just good fodder for the press.

“If I came out of somewhere and the shutter caught me with my eyes closed I was staggering out of a restaurant, which I possibly wasn’t even drunk.”

Denise discussed just how much the scandal impacted her life (Credit: Youtube)
Loose Women star Denise Welch on Olivia Attwood’s podcast

Denise detailed: “You didn’t know you were being hacked. So the distrust that it caused – within even your family circle. Because, if something has come out in a paper and you have only told one person you never in a million years thought that people were listening into your phone calls.”

The star also explained how last year she was given the opportunity to meet with the man who hacked her phone, which she did. Denise even spoke to the man for over an hour. Denise acknowledged that he had also suffered with mental health issues, like she had, after the incident.

In their sit down conversation, Graham told Denise that the hacking was an instruction.

ITV reports that Graham stated: “The culture of a tabloid newspaper was high pressure. Get it quickly, get it cheaply and if you don’t get it you’re down the road.”

Graham gave evidence to support the case now being brought by Prince Harry against Mirror Group Newspapers. During the trial, Graham testified that senior figures at Mirror Group Newspapers knew about unlawful activity.