Denise Welch stunned fans when she shared a video of herself delivering a speech at Sir Michael Caine’s 90th birthday dinner on Tuesday night.
The Loose Women panelist, 64, dumped Tom Cruise with a rude joke at the expense of her pal Michael during the fun evening, which was also attended by David Walliams.
While fans might be surprised by Denise’s unlikely friendship with acting legend Sir Michael, the two have been friends for years after her artist husband Lincoln Townley painted the actor’s portrait in 2016.
Lincoln has painted film legends including Al Pacino, Dame Judi Dench, Leonardo Di Caprio and Charlie Sheen. His painting of boxer Muhammad Ali sold for $623,000 in 2017.
And Sir Michael isn’t the only star Denise has ties to, as her son Matty Healy, 33, frontman of the band The 1975, has also introduced her to some of the biggest singers on the music scene.
Here we take a look at Denise’s A-list contact book and how she’s making her way through Hollywood.
Michael Cain
Pal: Denise Welch stunned fans when she shared a video of herself delivering a speech at Sir Michael Caine’s 90th birthday dinner on Tuesday night
Star-studded: The Loose Women panelist, 64, dumped Tom Cruise with a crude joke at the expense of her pal Michael during the fun evening, which was also attended by David Walliams
Sir Michael Caine celebrated his milestone year with an intimate dinner at London’s River Cafe with Tom Cruise, who just days before decided to skip the 2023 Academy Awards, one of the VIP guests.
In the clip posted to Instagram, Denise quipped, “Just the other morning, [Michael’s wife Shakira] said she heard a scream from downstairs, it was Michael shouting, “Shakira look there’s a package, my Olympic condoms have arrived.”
‘He said, ‘I’m going to wear the gold ones tonight’, and she said, ‘why not put on the silver and damn seconds for a change’.’
As the camera panned around, Tom appeared to be crying with laughter as he sat next to Michael, who appeared amused as he enjoyed his glass of red wine.
The clip was directed by Denise’s husband, Lincoln, who told another partygoer, “I’m staying with her.”
In a caption alongside the video, Denise joked that it seems Hollywood star Tom enjoys a crude joke as much as her boyfriend Michael does.
Speaking of her friendship with Michael, she said, “We see them as regularly as we can and I adore him — it’s my favorite photo in the world getting banged with Michael Caine because I feel so cool!”
Friendship: Michael and Shakira first entered Denise’s life when the actor visited Lincoln’s art exhibition at Somerset House in June 2016
Sir Michael clearly had an affinity for Lincoln’s work and the couple chatted in the showroom with the latter, who went on to paint Sir Michael’s portrait (pictured in 2019).
She wrote: “What an honor to be asked by Shakira to say a few words on Sir Michael Caines’ 90th birthday!!! He loves dirty jokes and apparently so does @tomcruise!!!! Great night and great company.’
Denise’s fans raved about the video, with one joke: “Tom Cruise skipping the Oscars to watch Denise stand up wasn’t on my 2023 bingo card.”
Michael and Shakira first entered Denise’s life when the actor visited Lincoln’s art exhibition at Somerset House in June 2016.
Sir Michael clearly had an affinity for Lincoln’s work and the pair chatted in the showroom with the latter, who later painted Sir Michael’s portrait.
Denise previously spoke exclusively to Web and quipped that she and Michael’s wife Shakira, 76, were planning to set up a racy website to compete with Only Fans, who they would call Only Nans.
Denise said: “Michael is a complete legend. I was very nervous about him when I first met him, he’s a big fan of my husband’s work. I became very good friends with Shakira and his wife.
“We see her as regularly as we can and I adore him – it’s my favorite photo in the world getting banged with Michael Caine because I feel so cool!
“We don’t seem to make such movie stars anymore. He’s just a legendary actor and he’s just wonderful.’
Taylor Swift
‘Oh what a night!’ Back in January, Denise shared a cheeky selfie with Taylor Swift while Florence and The Machine looked on in amusement in the background
Surprise: The TV star was at 02 to see her son Matt, 33, perform with the band and Denise was backstage with Taylor after the singer made a surprise appearance on stage
Back in January, Denise shared a cheeky selfie with Taylor Swift while Florence and The Machine looked on in amusement in the background.
The TV star was at 02 to watch her son Matt, 33, perform with the band.
Denise was backstage with Taylor after the singer made a surprise appearance onstage during the performance.
Denise couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she posed with the hitmaker, posting a picture on Instagram and a selfie with Charli XCX.
Say cheese: Denise couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she posed with the hitmaker, posting a picture to Instagram and a selfie with Charli XCX
“Oh what a night in a sold out 02. So proud I can’t even begin!!” Denise’s post was captioned.
Taylor debuted as chart-topping Anti-Hero in a surprise performance at The 1975’s London Gig.
Taylor took to the stage during the band’s performance and also covered their 2013 song The City.
Matt, 33, previously revealed the band have been working with Taylor on their latest album, Midnights, but their tracks didn’t make it.
He told KROQ’s Klein/Ally Show for Audacy’s DTS Sound Space, “We actually worked on it a little bit, but then the version of it never came out.”
The star was then booed and he replied: “It doesn’t work that way. For unobjectionable reasons. She’s gorgeous.’
Taylor and The 1975 have been friends for years, with the singer spotted at her concerts and sharing producer Jack Antonoff.
Back in 2015, he had to deny the couple were dating after it was revealed they had exchanged numbers.
‘It is a fake. It’s all fucking fake. It’s a farce!’ he said with animation.
“Yes, we met, we exchanged numbers like a lot of people do in this kind of world and we spoke occasionally.”
Jared Leto
Hollywood: In 2016, Denise was in California to show her support for her son and his band The 1975 when she met Jared Leto
In 2016, Denise was in California to show her support for her son and his band, The 1975.
But the TV star couldn’t help but catch up with some of the A-list partygoers at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
The former Coronation Street actress was quick to share her joy as she snapped a snap with Jared Leto.
The former Loose Women panelist posed with a huge grin on her face with her arm around the Thirty Seconds to Mars musician.
Her son could be seen on the big projection screen in the background as she captioned the snap with the words: “Me and my new best friend @JaredLeto are watching Matty #Coachella2016!!! xx’.
Earlier in the day, she posted a collage of her experiences on day one of the festival, saying: “Well we survived our first Coachella!! Of course, left by the children after 3 minutes!!! xx’