Loose Women star Denise Welch has returned to the ITV daytime show following her hospitalisation after she “collapsed” in December, with the former Corrie actress giving an update on her health
The Loose Women panel was thrilled to welcome back their friend and colleague Denise Welsh as she made a heartfelt return to the show, following a health scare that saw her hospitalised.
Denise, 66, had been missing from our screens for a while, but Ruth Langsford warmly reintroduced the actress on Tuesday (February 11). The former Coronation Street star, who’s currently appearing in Celebrity Hunted, courageously opened up about the frightening moment she “collapsed” before a pantomime performance last December.
Denise was set to dazzle as Captain Hook in the 2024 Peter Pan panto at Nottingham Theatre Royal but had to bow out due to her health, with Richard Winsor stepping into the iconic role.
Having faced depression for many years, Denise recognised the warning signs of her impending illness, describing a “tingling sensation” in her arm and a “metallic taste” in her mouth just before things took a turn for the worse.
She recounted an incident where she inadvertently drove the wrong way up a side street and was confronted by an irate driver; instead of reacting, she sensed something was deeply amiss. Amidst this, Denise was also grappling with 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 struggled as she became emotional, then relaying her manager’s kind offer: “‘Is she on her own?’ and ‘does she want me to go and be with her?'”
Despite her best efforts to soldier on, Denise reached breaking point and “collapsed” backstage at the pantomime, leading to her being replaced in the production and stepping back from her Loose Women role.
Denise was set to return to her ITV gig last week but fell ill again just as she was preparing for her comeback with acute peritonitis, resulting in a hospital visit, reports the Mirror.
She received treatment via an intravenous drip while doctors considered the possibility of surgery, which thankfully turned out to be unnecessary.