Denise Welch, a familiar face on ITV's Loose Women for nearly 25 years, has announced her departure from the program to focus on her acting career. Welch, 68, cited a string of recent acting offers as the reason for her decision.
Welch first joined Loose Women as a guest panellist in 1999 and became a regular fixture. Her final on-air appearance was on June 29. In a video shared on Instagram, she expressed her gratitude to the show and its audience, stating her intention to embrace new opportunities.
"Acting has always been my first love and I think the thing I'm best at, and at the moment I'm having the most wonderful opportunities coming my way," Welch said in her announcement. "I'm grabbing them by the you know whats and running with it for this new chapter of my life."
She conveyed that she would maintain friendships with her fellow panellists, describing them as "a happy band of campers" and refuting claims of backstage tensions. Welch has recently appeared in the Channel 4 drama Tip Toe and is slated to feature in an adaptation of Graham Norton's novel Forever Home.
A spokesperson for Loose Women acknowledged Welch's significant contribution to the show, stating, "Denise has been such a brilliant part of the Loose Women family and we are going to miss her hugely on the show. We are sending her all of our love and best wishes for her next chapter."
Loose Women has recently undergone production changes, including a reduction in its broadcast schedule from 52 to 30 weeks per year, which led to staff redundancies. The show was on a summer hiatus from July 17 and was scheduled to return in September. This shift followed a broader ITV restructuring concerning daytime programming.