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Denise Welch has announced that she is leaving Loose Women, sparking a flood of support from fans. The 68-year-old has been a staple of the ITV panel for decades, but confirmed that she would be stepping down in a video shared on Instagram earlier today.

Sharing the reason for her departure – which came days after Nadia Sawalha spoke about her own exit – she told followers that she wanted to focus on her acting career, describing it as her ‘first love and the thing she’s best at.”

In a video posted on Instagram she said: “I’m leaving Loose Women after the best part of 25 years, off and on. I did leave for about seven years and went back in 2018. This show has been part of mine, and my family’s life, for nearly a quarter of a century.

“I have the most wonderful, wonderful memories and it’s just that acting has always been my first love and, I think, the thing I’m best at.

“At the moment, I’m having the most wonderful opportunities coming my way and I’m grabbing them by the you-know-whats and running with it for this new chapter of my life.

“And so I just wanted to say that in person to thank all of the people who have shared my stories with me. I’ve shared my life with you – the good, the bad and the ugly. I’m very marmite but I cherish all the comments, good or bad, that I’ve had over the years.”

She added: “I just hope you wish me well for this new exciting chapter in my life. I’ll miss everybody but I will remain friends with the whole gang because, despite what you might read, we are a happy band of campers. Lots of love, thanks for sticking with me.”

Denise’s husband, Lincoln Townley, was among the first to share his support for her departure in the comments below. He proudly penned: “Grab those you know what’s darling you’re an incredibly strong talented sensational woman, the best is yet to come!”

Carol Vorderman commented: “Dens …… well that’s an era closing … you’ve been the beating heart of LW and I loved my 3 years with you there. You’re looking soooooooo well and happy and excited so here’s to your next chapter my lovely friend.”

“Nooooooo! Gutted to be honest! Going to really miss sharing the panel with you,” Katie Piper replied, as GK Barry added: “Denise I’m gonna be so sad not to be on the panel with you anymore you always brought so much joy to my day. Can’t wait to see you on our screens [sic].”

Denise made her debut as an official Loose Women panelist in 2005 alongside Kaye Adams, Coleen Nolan and a string of other notable faces. She took a step back from the series in 2013, before eventually returning in 2018.

In that time, she has shared the screen with Ruth Langsford, Christine Lampard, Andrea McLean, Oti Mabuse, Gloria Hunniford and many others.

She came to came in the early 80s before landing a coveted role in Byker Grove as Polly Bell in 1990. Shortly after, she made the move over to Weatherfield, playing Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes in Coronation Street.

Following her exit from the soap in 2000, she appeared in Down to Earth, Waterloo Road, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and EastEnders. Aside from acting, she also won Celebrity Big Brother in 2012 and competed in Dancing on Ice.

Although Denise remained coy about her upcoming acting opportunities, an insider explained that she was taking ‘a massive leap of faith’.

Describing her decision as ‘the end of an era’, they told the Sun: “She is taking a massive leap of faith and going to focus solely on her acting which, really, has always been her first great love.

“Over the past 18 months she has also won herself a whole new fan base with Gen Z, and the LGBTQIA+ community especially.”

“This has seen her being offered high-fashion photoshoots, and given new social media opportunities,” they added. “Now is the time to pursue her dreams, although she will be devastated to wave goodbye to her Loose friends and colleagues. She will be sorely missed.”

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AN EIGHTIES bombshell looked unrecognisable as she ran errands in Los Angeles, 39 years after starring in the legendary sci-fi movie – but can you guess who she is?

The actress, now 69, shot to fame in the cult superhero film in 1987, with a blockbuster remake coming out earlier this summer.

She started out as a dancer on the 80s music show, Solid Gold, before scoring a small role in the 1985 John Travolta and Jaimee Lee Curtis film, Perfect.

Her big break came when she played the warrior goddess Teela in Masters Of The Universe opposite Dolph Lundgren and Courteney Cox, a box office flop that was a huge hit with fans.

She also starred as Bruce Willis’ wife in the 1991 comedy, The Last Boy Scout.

The actress turned to television later in her career, portraying district attorney Rita Deveraux in NCIS: New Orleans alongside her husband Scott Bakula from 2014 to 2021 – do you know who she is yet?

double take

80s pin-up from legendary film unrecognisable on walk in LA – can you guess?

LYRICAL MIND

Glam nepo baby with 80s pop legend dad goes into Big Brother USA house

Did you guess it? It’s US actress Chelsea Field!

The star – who became known for her legendary catsuit in Masters Of The Universe – looked just as beautiful almost four decades later as she was spotted out and about.

The brunette beauty kept things casual in a pair of black flared trousers, a white top, and a grey top and shirt layered over the top.

Chelsea was not joined on the outing by her Golden Globe-winner husband Scott, whom she married in 2009 after a 15-year romance.

She met Scott, now 71, in 1993 when they filmed thriller, A Passion To Kill. They have two sons together.

Chelsea – who has also appeared in films like 1995’s The Wrong Woman, 1996’s Flipper, 1998’s Wicked and 2008’s Just Add Water – has stepped away from acting in recent years, having not appeared onscreen since 2021. 

“I’VE got a statement drafted, I’m ending it,” Katie Price told me of her fledgling marriage to Lee Andrews.

That was on February 1st.

This statement, as we all now know, never materialised. Because that’s how conmen like Lee operate: over the resulting four months he lied, scammed, obfuscated and wormed his way back into her affections.

Time and time again he has dismissed the seemingly never-ending allegations against him as a scurrilous and damaging pack of lies.

Katie, in her misguided loyalty, has sucked it up, and let him back in. But today I am going to lay bare the damning Lee Files: past recordings, voice notes, messages and shameless untruths. 

Unverified rumours of a gay affair, allegations of more people cheated of their hard-earned savings, a forthcoming appearance on Piers Morgan’s global YouTube show, horrific allegations of mental and physical abuse from former partners, mental health fakery and what really happened with the couple’s new dog, Dubaii: all shall be revealed.

My hope, in so doing, is to expose this man for the pathological liar he really is – and ensure he never, ever hurts another woman (or man) again.  

Lee, a source tells me, has left Katie no choice but to consult a divorce lawyer. 

She is also, I can confirm, refusing to return to Dubai. And with Lee locked-up, with travel ban, a reunion any time soon seems unlikely.

For Lee, literally and metaphorically, there is no coming back.

Coronation Street’s Sarah Platt has confessed to Todd that she killed Theo but a short time later she was the one who had to deal with a shock truth that came her way

Sarah Platt confessed to Todd Grimshaw that she killed Theo on the latest episode of Coronation Street. The legendary Weatherfield resident, who has been played by Tina O’Brien since 1999, hit the evil scaffolder over the head with a pipe during a confrontation above the builder’s yard – seemingly sending him plunging to his death.

For months, viewers were left guessing as to who had killed Theo, who spent almost a year abusing partner Todd Grimshaw, but Sarah was never one of the official suspects and is yet to even be a person of interest to police, most likely thanks to the fact that on the night in question, she was knocked unconscious in the living room of number eight.

Viewers are aware that Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown) was the mystery attacker who hit her over the head with an ornament that night, but no one else is. Via the medium of a flashback, viewers learned earlier this week that Sarah had killed Theo (James Cartwright) after he insulted her, Todd and the baby they had together more than 20 years ago who died shortly after his birth.

Sarah is currently dating, and looks set to get engaged to DC Kit Green (Jacob Roberts), so she felt it was unwise to involve him. Instead, she roped Gary Windass (Mikey North) into the whole sorry mess, who has been helping her keep the whole thing secret, much to the chagrin of his wife Maria (Samia Longchambon), who thought they had been having an affair.

To make matters even worse, DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers), who has a habit of putting innocent people in prison, charged Todd’s adoptive daughter Summer (Harriet Bibby) with murder and, although she was recently released, Sarah said nothing and allowed her to be put behind bars.

Having had enough of Todd constantly blaming Gary for the murder, Sarah finally confessed all to her best friend in Thursday night’s instalment of the world’s longest-running TV soap.

Through tears, Sarah said: “It was me. I knocked Theo off the scaffolding.” as he looked on in shock. “You’re wrong and I’m not even gonna let you think it. He is not corrupt – he wants to marry me!

“Afterwards. I was in shock and…Theo was…dead. And I couldn’t ring Kit, I couldn’t. I didn’t know who else to turn to. “

“He was talking like he’d killed you, and I believed him because why wouldn’t I? You thought he was capable. That’s why you ran.

“Don’t look down your nose at me, Theo ruined your life and then you brought him into mine. I didn’t have the option to run – not when I was 20ft up, on scaffolding on a plank that wide with a psycho waving a bottle in my face. A psycho who was ten times stronger than me and two times the size of me.

“He got in my face and I pushed him away and then he came back at me. All the time, he had this little white fleck in the corner of his mouth when he was ripping into me and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. That I was a sl*g, a w***e, three different kids to three different men and no wonder our baby died because it was an abomination.

“Those were the words he said about an innocent, newborn child. There was a pole. It was just instinct, I closed my eyes and swung and he crumpled.”

Later on, Sarah presumed Todd was going to go to the police but when she found him in the Rovers Return later on, he admitted he just couldn’t do it – even though he angrily told Sarah she had robbed him of the chance to make sure Theo got justice for all the abuse he had subjected him to.

He added: “The most annoying thing about all of it is the fact that I love you…so much. And I can’t see you go to prison.” Todd and Sarah were teenage sweethearts amid the programme’s first coming out story in 2004 and, even after Todd came out as gay, the pair have remained close.

Initially, Sarah threw her arms around Todd as she thanked him, but he then dealt the final blow as he vowed to cut her out for good.

He said: “Listen to me Sarah, this is it, for you and me. We’re done. I don’t want you in my life anymore,” leading Sarah to march back into the pub and continue to drink as she she stumbled round to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody before her family escorted her out.

But there was another twist in store back at number eight when Sarah, sat stroking David the dog, was having a conversation with Jodie. Without realising what she was saying, Jodie said: “It’s not easy to get over an attack like that – it takes time. Maybe this wasn’t the best place to bring you to, it must be triggering.”

As Jodie stroked the dog, she said: “At least you’re not barking your head off, this time, eh?” and Sarah immediately began to put two and two together as she said: “How did you know he was barking that night?”

Jodie tried to play the whole thing down but the cogs were already turning for Sarah, who has seemingly worked out that it was Shona’s mysterious long-lost sister all along.

Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream from 7am on ITV X.

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Love Island bosses had yet another twist up their sleeve with the latest bombshell and fans have been left stunned

Love Island viewers were treated to another huge twist in the latest bombshell action. Following hot on the heels of a double eviction – sort of – the villa was getting ready to welcome two new islanders.

And it turns out one already knows a fellow love hopeful very well. In fact, he is his brother! Aidan’s sibling, Kavan, has made a big impression – both with Ellie and online.

Electrician Kavan, 21, is the younger brother of 23-year-old property broker Aidan. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “Bringing in a brother Love Island are you mad?!” Another added: “Love Island are seriously running out of ideas LOOOOL tf you mean Aidan’s BROTHER? #LoveIsland.”

A third wasn’t keen on the idea, either, saying: “Eww imagine being on Love Island with a sibling. Could not be me. #loveisland.”

A fourth enjoyed the twist, though, writing: “Two brothers in one villa is brazy. Fairs, Love Island, fairs #loveisland.”

And a fourth agreed: “imagine going onto love island and fumbling the hottest girl in there and then ur brother comes in and dates her. sunday dinners gonna be awkward when they get back #loveislanduk

Ellie having a date with Kavan left her stunned and she gasped “f*** off” when he revealed Aidan is his brother.

It comes after Yasmin and Aidan caught up in the Snug to discuss Yasmin’s decision to dump Ellie. She told him: ““I’m sorry it’s put you in a sh*t situation.”

Comforting her, Aidan said: “I’m just shocked, that’s all. I didn’t expect it.” He pulled her in for a hug as the pair got closer.

The pair continued to share a closer bond the next day. On the terrace, Aidan told her: “My attention is of course with you. I think I made a bold statement yesterday and I stick by it… But I feel like you also made a bold decision which was nice.”

Yasmin questioned if her choice was bad and Aidan flirted by saying: “Nah, it was sexy…” As Yasmin joked she did it “all for you” the pair leant in for a kiss, with Ellie appearing to be the last thing on his mind.

But despite their early exit, Ellie and Samraj were in for a twist. Following a shock text informing them that their Love Island journey isn’t over, they were snuck off to somewhere much closer to home than the airport. The duo headed to The Hideaway.

Samraj joked to Ellie: “I didn’t think I’d be spending my first night in the Hideaway with you Ellie, as much as I love you!”

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Love Island fans were left seething with the decision by bombshells George and Yasmin as two islanders were forced to leave the show already

Love Island is now into day three of the new series, and with the sun heating up, so is the drama. Viewers were left less than impressed as the bombshells made their eviction decision on Wednesday, calling it a ‘sinister’ move.

Yasmin was in tears as the time for the bombshells to make their decision approached. And their call stunned the viewers as Ellie and Samraj were sent home. But while tears ran down the villa, with gutted Samraj and Ellie needing to exit, they were told that all may not be as it seemed.

And the decision – and announcement – left fans stunned. On X, formerly known as Twitter, after Yasmin and George’s decision, one user wrote: “That was sinister #loveisland.”

Another said: “ELLIE & SAMRAJ ????? WOTTTTTTT #LoveIsland.” And a third agreed, calling the decision to dump Samraj “crazy”. With twists and bombshells already flowing, bosses would have expected the drama to unfold. And it appears that is exactly what is happening. Viewers questioned the cliffhanger as the show came to a close.