ITV’s Loose Women welcomed back their co-star Denise Welch following a leave of absence she took after a health scare that led to hospitalisation. The 66-year-old actress had been missing from the ITV show for a while, and on Tuesday (February 11), host Ruth Langsford introduced her as she made her return.
Currently appearing in Celebrity Hunted, the former Coronation Street star candidly discussed her recent collapse before a pantomime performance in December.
Due to her illness, Denise had to withdraw from her role as Captain Hook in the 2024 Peter Pan pantomime at Nottingham Theatre Royal, with Richard Winsor stepping in to take over.
With a long-standing battle with depression, Denise shared insight into recognising the warning signs of her impending health issue; she experienced a “tingling sensation” in her arm and recalled a “metallic taste” in her mouth right before things took a turn.
Additionally, an incident where she mistakenly drove the wrong way up a side street, encountering an irate driver, indicated to her that something was profoundly wrong. At the same time, Denise was dealing with several personal challenges, including the early release of her stalker from prison.
Opening up the show, Denise said: “I ploughed on and I started the pantomime, within three days I collapsed in the foyer of the hotel I was staying in and I got back to the room and I said to my agent ‘you’ve got to pull me out’.”
She went on to say: “My agent Bex and my husband, who have been amazing, phoned the company manager of the Panto and the first thing he said was…”
Denise became emotional as she relayed her manager’s kind offer: “‘Is she on her own?’ and ‘does she want me to go and be with her?'”
Denise struggled to continue, but the pressure proved overwhelming, leading to her “collapsing” backstage at the pantomime. This incident led to Denise being replaced in the production and also stepping back from her role on Loose Women, reports the Mirror.
Denise had planned to return to her ITV position last week, but as she prepared for her comeback, she fell ill once more and was rushed to hospital. There, she received treatmentfor acute peritonitis via an intravenous drip while doctors considered the possibility of surgery, which, fortunately, was ultimately deemed unnecessary.
Loose Women airs on ITV1, from 12:30pm.