Listen, no one said dating Taylor Swift was easy. But according to Matty Healy’s mom, it was especially chaotic if you were watching it all unfold as his maybe-someday-mother-in-law.
Denise Welch, British actress and Loose Women panelist, opened up (just a little) about her son’s whirlwind romance with the pop icon during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. And by “opened up,” we mean she said just enough to get Swifties’ attention—but not enough to get a cease and desist.
See also: Taylor Swift’s Surprise Duet With Kane Brown Had 1,200 People Living a Once-in-a-Lifetime Moment
Matty Healy’s Mom Says She’s Glad She’s Not Taylor Swift’s Mother-in-Law
“Obviously, on pain of death can I talk about that episode,” Denise said with a dramatic flair, before dropping this gem:
“But being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost.”
Cue audience gasps.
To be clear, she wasn’t throwing shade—just lightly airing out the vibes.
“Not that I have anything against her at all!” she added quickly. “It was just—it was tricky.”
Why tricky? Apparently, during her son’s very brief (we’re talking May to June 2023) relationship with Taylor, the family wasn’t allowed to say a word. No comments, no insights, no “yes, they’re cute together!” interviews.
Meanwhile… Taylor dropped a whole album. The Tortured Poets Department is widely believed to include references to Matty—and yes, Denise knows.
“It was interesting that we couldn’t talk about it, but she could write a whole record,” she quipped (with British restraint, of course).
🚨Swifties🚨notes on The Tortured Poets Department from Matty Healy’s mother Denise Welch #WWHL pic.twitter.com/cHE5F3ciZh
— Watch What Happens Live! (@BravoWWHL) July 25, 2025
See also: It’s Official: Taylor Swift Now Owns All Her Music—And She Took It Back on Her Terms
Matty Healy Has Moved On—And So Has Denise
Denise was quick to point out that there are no hard feelings. Matty, she says, is very happy with his fiancée, model and musician Gabbriette Bechtel.
“She’s amazing and gorgeous,” Denise said, clearly relieved to be out of the spotlight. “So, we’ve moved on.”
As for her brief stint in the Swiftdom multiverse? One month in 2023, a few public sightings, a handful of blurry fan photos—and apparently, a lot of private chaos.
No official titles were given. But for those 31 days? Denise Welch was basically Suegra Swift. And she will not be reapplying for the job.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Fernando Eslava in Cultura Colectiva.
