‘She's Dark & Narcissistic'

Living soap legend Denise Welch on playing Hollyoaks’ Trish Minniver, and the downside of showbiz...

- Alison Slade

She’s probably still most famous for the role of Corrie man-eater Natalie Barnes, was briefly Stacey Slater’s secret step mum in EastEnders, and now Denise Welch is adding to her unrivaled soap CV, playing the role of Maxine Minniver’s mother from hell, Trish, in Hollyoaks.

We caught up with the Loose Women star, 62, to find out more...

How would you describe Trish?

She has a very dark, narcissistic side, but she is also great fun. My husband [artist Lincoln Townley] is 15 years younger than me, and Trish’s boyfriend, Brad, is a similar age, but I love that the age gap hasn’t been bigged up. Brad started out by snogging Maxine [played by another former Corrie star, Nikki Sanderson], but he and Trish are very much attracted to one another. Trish is the kind of woman who will always blame the woman, though, not the man. There’s a real passive-aggressiveness toward Maxine. It’s not a healthy relationship, but it’s also not uncommon.

Have you met anyone like her?