Denise Welch was emotional as she revealed her father Vin had starred in Coronation Street alongside her in the late nineties.

The Loose Women panel were back on ITV this Monday, June 17, 2024, after an eventful weekend which saw England win their debut match at the Euros 2024 against Serbia and Kate Middleton returning to the spotlight for Trooping the Colour.

But after a quick chat about the latest news, Denise reacted to Father’s Day, celebrated this Sunday, June 16, with a revelation about her own father Vin, who passed away in late September, 2021.

It all began when Denise and her co-stars Dame Kelly Holmes, Linda Robson and Kaye Adams wondered “what makes a good dad?” and a picture of the actress beaming next to her father on the set of soap Coronation Street led her to candidly open up, revealing: “he was in Corrie for one episode.”

Diehard fans of the Manchester-based drama will remember that Denise was introduced as divorcee Natalie Horrocks, who quickly became Weatherfield legend Kevin Webster’s mistress, ruining his marriage with then-wife Sally Webster.

Natalie, however, was also well-known for her romance with Desmond Barnes, but he was fatally injured weeks after their wedding, while he was defending his stepson Tony from drug dealers.

In 1998, Desmond’s father Bob rocked up the cobbles himself to attend his son’s funeral – and he was portrayed by none other than Vin Welch. “I love my dad, he was the one person in the world who never judged me”, Denise recalled on Loose Women.

As mentioned, Vin passed away at the age of 84 years old, after major surgery. He also suffered from pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis. Grief-stricken, Denise announced the devastating news on social media: “The words I’ve dreaded saying all of my life”, she penned.

“Last night at 11pm, we lost our dad, the life force that was Vin Welch. After making a miraculous recovery recently from major surgeries, pneumonia plus his existing pulmonary fibrosis was more than even he could take. He left us surrounded by his family who could not have loved anyone more.

Two years after sharing the spotlight with her father in Coronation Street, Denise made the decision to leave Weatherfield and her on-screen alter ego waved the cobbles goodbye when her relationship with Vinny Sorrell turned bitter.

Speaking about her exit from the show at the time, while expecting her second child with Tim Healy, Louis, Denise said: “I am looking forward to being a mum again and spending some time with my baby and am relishing the prospect of new challenges in my career.” She has since appeared in popular programs in the likes of Casualty, Hollyoaks, Waterlood Road, The Bill and Benidorm.