When we were thinking about which iconic pop culture moments to recreate for heat’s Stars Dress Up 2023, Samantha Jones’ epic Sex in the City return in spin-off show And Just Like That… was one of the first that came to mind.
But which famous face could we get to take on the role? After all, it would have to be someone incredible to live up to Kim Cattrall’s iconic portrayal.
Enter Loose Women’s answer to Samantha Jones – and Diana: The Musical’s Queen Elizabeth II – Denise Welch.
“I was always more Samantha than any of the others,” Denise told us as she transformed into our favourite sex positive publicist.
“I’ve been happily married for ten years, but if I wasn’t, I think I would still be giving it a go!”
And Just Like That… viewers only got a fleeting glimpse of Samantha in her very brief cameo in the final episode of season two, with Kim not appearing in season one at all thanks to long-running tensions with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker, and Denise gave us her view on their feud.
She said, “I think the show misses Kim Cattrall and Samantha a lot. It’s a shame that personal grievances stepped in, because I don’t think it’s the same without her.
“Good luck to them, and I think they’re all fabulous characters. But I think Samantha was pretty much everybody’s favourite – she was certainly mine. She’s fantastic!”
Ever the professional, Denise was on voice rest on the day of our shoot. She’d just thrown her annual charity ball for the Gem Appeal, enabling research into genetic conditions, and was worried about losing her voice completely before her performance in Diana: The Musical.
Denise joins this year’s Stars Dress Up line-up alongside three of this year’s biggest reality stars. Married At First Sight UK’s Ella Morgan Clark and Love Island’s Sammy Root took on Barbie and Ken, while Big Brother winner Jordan Sangha transformed into Timothée Chalamet’s Wonka.
For more festive fun, pick up a copy of heat’s bumper Christmas issue – out now.