Dickie Arbiter locked horns with Denise Welch on the set of Loose Women as the panellist took a stand against the harsh criticism targeting Meghan Markle – and now 103 viewers have complained to Ofcom

ITV’s Loose Women has been hit with 103 complaints from viewers after Denise Welch found herself in a furious rant at a TV guest earlier this week.

It all went down when Denise, 65, proved that she had had enough of hearing complaints about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The Loose Women panellist was left seething on Monday, May 6, when Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth II and to King Charles III before he was crowned last year, was in the studio to speak about the monarch’s cancer battle.

While the conversation began smoothly, it inevitably took a turn when Dickie addressed the elephant in the room – can the monarch ever repair his strained relationship with his son, Prince Harry? Royal fans will recall the latter snubbed life as a senior working royal alongside his wife Meghan for a fresh start across the Atlantic and the Duchess of Sussex has been more criticised than ever before since.

Meghan also faced a wave of criticism when she was first rumoured to be dating Prince Harry in 2016 and the couple have publicly condemned the negative media scrutiny they have both received, personally, as a couple and as parents for theirtwo children, Archie and Lilibet.

Denise lashed out at Dickie Arbiter during the programme ( 
Image:
ITV1)

For Denise, Meghan and Harry’s decision to leave Windsor and Frogmore Cottage behind was nothing short of logical and tensions emerged at lightning speed as she vehemently defended them – calling Dickie out for his own criticism of Meghan Markle.

“If I may say, do you not think there is a reason why Harry did such a thing?”, the 65-year-old initially asked, referring to the Duke’s decision to leave the UK for the US. Denise then summarised the heartbreak surrounding King Charles III’s family, wounds first stemming from the monarch’s marriage with Lady Diana “when he was in love with Camilla.”

“It ruined a lot of Diana’s life”, Denise claimed. She then recalled how a young Prince Harry witnessed his mother’s death after a fatal car chase with paparazzi before he was forced to walk publicly behind her coffin and accept Queen Camilla as his stepmother.

“Then he has a wife who is completely and continually trashed by the media, including your good self”, Denise added while turning to Dickie, while some audience members began to applaud her. “I am just sick to death of the bashing that this woman gets (…) we continually berate this woman every day.”

When Dickie argued that the Sussexes have received criticism over their choice to leave the Royal Family, Denise furiously doubled down: “Why would they not walk out? Why would they want to spend their life in a country that hated them?”

Coleen Nolan was forced to step in to break up the heated debate ( 
Image:
ITV1)
The segment left many ITV viewers with their jaws dropped as they swarmed over to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts. And while the majority of Loose Women viewers seem to have agreed with Denise’s sentiments, it seems that a substantial number of viewers were also left offended by her comments.

It has been confirmed that 103 furious viewers complained to regulator Ofcom about how Denise spoke out about the Royal Family and her reaction to Dickie’s views. Following her panel outburst, a number of trolls mocked Denise’s sobriety journey – but it didn’t take her long to hit back.

“Good old Denise”, the troll penned on X, formerly known asTwitter, “surprised she can stay sober enough to be able to partake in a debate.” But while the comment could have left Denise reeling, she quickly responded by directly addressing her online hater. “12 years Dougie!! Keep up,” she wrote.

Denise Welch has made no secret of her struggle with addiction, like many other stars who have taken the steps for an alcohol-free life. In 2023, the former Coronation Street actress celebrated 11 years of sobriety with a post on Instagram where she opened up about her “disastrous” relationship with booze and how giving up had helped her and husband Lincoln Townley turn their life around.

“11 yrs sober today!!! Giving up my disastrous relationship with alcohol changed my life, my husband’s life and my children’s lives. Plus the lives of all who love me”, she captioned her post.

“It wasn’t easy. Addiction is a cruel and frightening illness. But together @lincolntownley and I realised that we were destroying many lives including our own and we did it.” She’d then added: “I now have a wonderful marriage that is the foundation of my life. Our kids are happy and I hope those of you struggling find the strength to stop.”

If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk.