Denise Welch made a rare comment about her son Matty Healy’s brief relationship with Taylor Swift during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live on July 24.
Host Andy Cohen asked the actress and Loose Women panelist her thoughts on Swift’s album, The Tortured Poets Department, which seemingly details their short-lived 2023 romance.
“Being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost,” Welch said, before clarifying, “Not that I have anything against her at all!”
The record detailed the duo’s brief romance as Swift sang about The 1975 frontman, 36, on tracks including “Guilty as Sin?” “Fresh Out the Slammer,” “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” and “loml.”
“Obviously, on pain of death can I talk about that episode, but being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost,” the 67-year-old said to gasps from the studio audience.
“Not that I have anything against her at all! It was just – it was tricky.”
The British star continued with a pointed observation about the situation.
“She – listen, you’re not allowed to say anything, and then she writes a whole album about it.”
Welch went on to share how her son has dealt with the attention that’s come from dating Swift and her subsequent album.
“Matty has taken it all in completely good grace.”
“He’s very happy with his amazing fiancée Gabriella, who is gorgeous,” Welch continued of the model and singer who works under the name Gabbriette Bechtel.
“So, we’ve moved on.”
Relationship Timeline
Healy and Swift first met in the fall of 2014 but they didn’t date until years later.
The two were photographed holding hands at New York City’s Casa Cipriani shortly after Healy was spotted attending Swift’s Eras Tour in Nashville in May 2023. However, they broke up that June, with a source telling PEOPLE at the time that their relationship was “always casual.”
Their romance came just a month after PEOPLE confirmed Swift’s split from her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn.
A source close to the former couple told PEOPLE their split was largely caused by “differences in their personalities” that became “harder to ignore after years together.”
Shortly after Swift and Healy’s split, the pop superstar began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The “Fortnight” singer and football player, 35, first sparked romance rumors in September 2023 after Swift attended a handful of Kelce’s games.
While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show podcast shortly before Swift attended her first Chiefs game, Kelce revealed that he had invited Swift to attend one of his games. He said he “threw the ball in her court” after seeing her perform at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs play, during during her Eras Tour in July 2023.
