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Denise’s story
It is twelve thirty and Denise has arrived early at the shoot straight from an appearance on Channel 5’s Matthew Wright show. She’s thirsty and hungry and in need of sparkling water and snack.
The actress looks stunning but is not feeling good about herself today. However, she takes a deep breath and bustles around making the crew and her friends feel special. She’s enthusiastic about the project and can't wait for Linda to arrive and get made up.
Denise tries on some of the clothes and makes up for the lack of a full-length mirror in the apartment by standing on the toilet seat so she can see herself in the bathroom mirror.
She can’t believe there’s not a proper mirror - "I am not being a pain, it’s just I want to get into a character and can't if I can't see myself," she laughs.
Since the birth of her son Matthew, Denise has been battling anxiety and mental health issues and takes each day as it comes. She can’t predict how she will feel but has learnt to cope.
She is an advocate for mental health and a spokesperson for MIND, one of the many charities she supports. Denise hosts an annual ball in Manchester for The Gem Appeal, a research facility set up by her friend Karen Sutherland, which is developing lifesaving treatments for genetic diseases.
Denise’s work with the LBGTQ community has won her awards and her short film, Black Eyed Susan, which portrays a woman struggling with depression, has been widely acclaimed.
Soon she’s in make-up and the crew are in fits of laughter as she regales them with funny stories.
Denise received her Diva Ally of the Year award last year at a glittering ceremony at London’s Cafe De Paris and she confesses her biggest shock was when one of her heroines, Jennifer Saunders, handed over the trophy with the words: "This is a woman I would want on my team!”
Saunders presented the awards along with fellow Ab Fab veteran Harriet Thorpe. Says Denise: “The fact they had even heard of me left me speechless. It was all so surreal and friendly, and I could have bathed in the crowd, there was so much love. I was totally in awe of all these remarkable women.”
She admits it would be a dream to appear in Ab Fab – “some of my friends already call me June Whitfield so maybe I could be her long-lost daughter!”
Asked how it feels to have been so taken to heart by the lesbian community, Denise tells me that she regards it as a real honour.
“Honestly, I am grateful anyone has taken to me, but it maybe we have empathy for each other. I was lucky and raised not label or judge people. My dad’s a drag queen called Raquel and my mum, bless her soul, had many diverse friends. Being gay was nothing unusual and I have always just had friends. Their sexuality is not the important thing to me. They are my pals.
“It would be great if we could raise all kids like that. My son Matthew, who’s in the band 1975, jokes with me "when are you coming out mum?’ as yet again I am featured in a gay magazine. Matt is all about diversity and would defend to the end people’s rights to be themselves, as would my youngest, Louie, who's 16. It makes me very proud.
Among the many causes she supports, Denise is a huge advocate for the transgender community and starred in Boy Meets Girl, the first BBC comedy series to feature transgender issues prominently.
“It is totally bizarre to me - any kind of homophobia, racism or discrimination - what are people frightened of? Many of my leading men have been gay, as are my friends. It’s just normal for me.”