Denise Black Denise Black was born as " Denise Nixon " on 16th March , 1958 in Emsworth , Hampshire . Her mother Stella was a bank teller and father Don Nixon , a Lieutenant engineer in the Navy . She has an older sister Carol who works as a dentist . Denise was educated at Girls Public Day School Trust in Portsmouth and excelled at ' O ' levels . She left school and took various jobs including working in a local mental home and studied Psychology at University of London . After graduation she began travelling and went to Gibraltar before moving to the West Indies , where she was when she decided that she wanted to become an actress . Her first professional role was as a cat in " Miniatures " at Sheffield ' s Crucible Theatre before she went on to work in several fringe theatres . After gaining her equity card in 1980 , Denise joined the Actors ' Touring Company and performed Shakespeare plays in countries as far apart as South America , Israel , Greece and Yugoslavia . On her return to England , Denise teamed up with Josie Lawrence and Kate McKenzie at the Newcastle Playhouse in " La Pasionaria " and to further their interests in music and singing they formed the jazz group " Denise Black & the Kray Sisters " . Her friendship with Josie Lawrence landed her parts in " Saturday Live " and " Josie " . Denise then joined Julian Clary on stage at the Donmar Warehouse in London . The following year Denise took a break from acting whilst expecting her first child . In 1988 she appeared at the Oldham Coliseum in " The Threepenny Opera " , the following year she toured with " Art of Success " . In 1990 she made her television debut in " Casualty " as a street hooker and also on stage at the Bolton Octagon Theatre in " Stop Children ' s Laughter " . Denise also appeared on screen as Carrie Evans in " The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes " and on stage as Goneril in " King Lear " . In 1991 she toured in " Twelfth Night " with the Cambridge Touring Company and gave birth to her second child . In 1992 , Denise appeared in " The Bill " , played a Gypsy in " A Touch of Frost " and a Policewoman in " Between The Lines " before joining " Coronation Street " as hairdresser Denise Osbourne , a role she played until February 1996 . She then played clairvoyant Eve August in " Dangerfield " and appeared in her husband ' s musical " Mad And Her Dog " . In November she returned to " Coronation Street " for another six months . She then joined Lesley Joseph in Channel 4 ' s adaptation of " Macbeth " before filming the mini - series drama " The Things We Do For Love " in which she played Patricia Phoenix as a young woman . In 2001 she was a main panellist on " Loose Women " and returned again in 2003 as a guest panellist . She is also strongly involved in fringe and alternative theatre , and is now getting involved in production . Indeed , most of the production work for " Mad and her Dog " was organised by her from the " Coronation Street " Green Room , and this was one of the contributing factors which led her to leave the programme - although she did return to resume the role for two months in 2007 . Other more recent TV credits include minor roles in " Dalziel and Pascoe , Doc Martin , Robin Hood , Doctors , Holby City , Exile " and " Midsomer Murders " . Black appeared in " Emmerdale " as Joanie Wright between June and November 2013 . She reprised her role in June 2015 , and remained with the soap until the character was suddenly killed off in January 2017 . Denise lives with her husband , musician and composer Paul Sand who she met at an audition and their children , Sam , born in 1988 and Dandy , born in 1991 . They now live in Brighton . Denise was born with a condition that caused her fingers to deform and cross over each other .