The Loose Women panel welcomed back one member of the team after she was ‘hospitalised’

The Loose Women panel welcomed back their colleague as she returned to the programme after taking time out to focus on her well being after collapsing and being hospitalised.

Denise Welch, 66, has been noticeably absent from the ITV programme for some time now and host Ruth Langsford introduced the the actress as she made a comeback on Tuesday (February 11).

On the show, the former Coronation Street actress who can curently be seen in Celebrity Hunted, bravely spoke about her ordeal after she “collapsed” before doing her pantomime performance in December.

The former soap star had to pull out of playing Captain Hook in the 2024 Peter Pan pantomime at Nottingham Theatre Royal due to ill health, with Richard Winsor needing to step in to replace her.

Having battled with depression for decades now, Denise detailed how she’d recognised some of the signs and symptoms that she was about to become poorly.

Loose Women star returns to show after collapsing
She’d felt a “tingling sensation” in her arm and also recalled a “metallic taste” in her mouth, knowing that something bad was about to happen, and then it did.

Denise drove up a side street the wrong way and was greeted by an angry motorist behind the wheel of another car, who was shouting at her, instead of responding she just knew something was deeply wrong.

Denise bravely opened up about her absence from Loose Women
At the same time, Denise also noted that she had a number of personal struggles going on in her life, one being her stalker’s release from prison early.

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’.”

Denise had to take time off due to poor mental healthShe 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 trying to battle on, it all became too much for Denise and she ended up “collapsing” before the pantomime kicked off, resulting in the star being replaced from the production and taking a back-step from her Loose Women duties too.

Denise explained that she was also due to return to her ITV post last week but as she readied to come back was once again taken ill and to hospital, with acute peratinital perforated diverticulitis.

She was treated with an intravenous drip as medics deliberated on whether she might need to have surgery, fortunately this turned out not to be the case.

Holding her hand over her face she stated: “So I’ve been in hospital on a drip for a b****y week,” the Corrie star added: “Excuse me,” before confirming: “Anyway they didn’t have to do surgery, they got it with antibiotics.”

Loose Women airs on ITV1, from 12:30pm.