denise

Former Loose Women panellist, Nadia Sawalha, has spoken out in support of her co-star Denise Welch after her shock departure from the show earlier this week to concentrate on her “first love” of acting.Nadia, 61, told the Mirror she is “really happy” for her pal, praising how Denise, 68, was “never afraid to share what she thought.” Nadia, claims to have been “bullied off” Loose Women after complaints were made about her pro-Palestinian beliefs, and is now threatening to sue ITV.Yesterday Nadia’s husband Mark Adderley and her sister Dina Sawlaha hit out over the lack of support she has been given since leaving the show amid celebrations of Denise’s time at Loose Women.

Mark, a film producer and local councillor, said in a video post that the way she had been treated “breaks my heart”.

He declared: “I am absolutely flabbergasted, agog, horrified, shocked, beyond dismayed and disappointed by the cowardly lack of support I have heard or seen for you from people I would’ve expected it to come from.”

When Kaye Adams replied to the news of Denise’s departure, Dina raged: ”So your Instagram does work! After all of Nadia’s support for you during your bullying allegations, you couldn’t even LIKE her Daily Mail apology post, which is about as controversial as it gets. Wow, wow, wow!”Last month Nadia received a “substantial” payout and apology from two newspapers which had printed false claims about her and husband Mark.

Despite the drama, Nadia is fully supportive of Denise, and tells the Mirror: “Denise was a great Loose Woman, never afraid to share what she thought, even if it was unpopular sometimes.

“I have always admired her advocacy for those suffering with their mental health and addiction, as I’ve faced similar challenges within my family.”

The pair have worked together on the ITV Daytime show on and off for 20 years.

Nadia adds: “We always said it would have been a disaster if we’d gone to school together, as we would have been in trouble constantly!”Denise, recently appeared in Channel 4 drama Tip Toe and previously starred in Waterloo Road, Coronation Street, Benidorm and Hollyoaks. “Having seen her on stage and, of course, many times on TV, I know she is a fabulous actress,” Nadia says. “So I’m really happy for her. Anything is possible for her. The sky’s the limit.”

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror last week, Nadia claimed some Loose Women colleagues had offered support, but she alleges many are too scared to do so publicly.

She said two well-known faces at ITV reacted to an Instagram video she posted on her threat to sue the network. It was not clear who those individuals were.

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Following the latest news that beloved Loose Women panellist Denise Welch is departing the ITV show, many viewers are now labelling the programme a ‘sinking ship’

Daytime TV favourite Loose Women has recently undergone some of the most sweeping structural and staffing shake-ups in its 26-year history, and following the latest news that beloved panellist Denise Welch is departing the show, many viewers are now labelling the programme a ‘sinking ship’.

As part of a sweeping broadcaster-wide cost-cutting drive by ITV, the format of the show has changed dramatically this year. Rather than broadcasting all year round, Loose Women was scaled back to a seasonal format in January, airing for just 30 weeks a year. The show also axed its live studio audience entirely. This decision led to the dismissal of long-serving studio warm-up comedian Lee Peart, sparking an emotional outcry from remaining cast members.

Loose Women also vacated its former home and relocated to The H Club Studio in Covent Garden. It now shares a centralised, 360-degree LED-walled studio space with This Morning and Lorraine in a bid to significantly slash production costs.

While its standard runtime remains one hour (12:30 pm to 1:30 pm), the show has trialled temporary extensions – such as 15-minute “extra time” segments to accommodate sports scheduling and specific themed features.

It was also revealed this month that panellist Nadia Sawalha had been dropped from the programme by ITV following controversy over her beliefs. Now, news has broken today (August 13) that Denise Welch has quit the show.

The 68-year-old, who has appeared on-and-off the programme for 25 years, says she wants to throw herself wholeheartedly into her acting career, which she has described as her true passion and “first love”.

She has enjoyed a remarkable professional resurgence of late, landing major television roles including the Channel 4 sitcom Stepping Up and the Channel 5 drama Forever Home.

In a video uploaded to her personal Instagram account, Welch opened up about the reasoning behind her departure.

She said: “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.”

Reflecting on her time on Loose Women, she added: “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.

“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.”

Amid growing public speculation over the state of the show, she moved to clarify her relationship with her fellow cast members, adding: “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.”

Her announcement triggered an enormous outpouring of support from her fellow panellists, underscoring her reputation as the “beating heart” of the show.

Host Kaye Adams wrote: “You have broken my heart but I shall watch your Den-aissance with love and pride.”

While Nadia Sawalha added: “You are such a fantastic actress. Fly high lovely.”

Scores of fans also told Denise how much they had enjoyed watching her on the programme, though some predicted its decline following her exit and other recent developments.

One person wrote: “It’s not fun to watch anymore and it feels like people are not allowed to have different opinions on the important things! Plus ITV deciding to get the rid of the audience is the beginning of the end. You were my favourite one!”.

Another claimed Loose Women is “grinding to a halt”, while a third added: “I’m glad you jumped before the ship went down.”

The news comes amid separate claims that ITV recently shelved a Loose Women spin-off project as part of sweeping budget cuts across the broadcaster.

In July 2026, reports emerged that ITV executives quietly pulled the plug on a planned Loose Women spin-off podcast.

An insider noted that while the broadcaster remains hopeful for another run in the future, the project will not feature on the immediate calendar due to sweeping cost-cutting measures impacting ITV Daytime.

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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DENISE Welch shares unseen pics of son Matty Healy’s wedding as she parties with Coronation Street star and Charli XCX

1975 singer Matty, 37, and musician Gabbriette Bechtel, 28, tied the knot at Castillo del Lago in Los Angeles on Saturday July 18 2026.

The loved-up couple said ‘I do’ in front of a string of celebrity pals including Charli XCX, Nick Grimshaw and Matty’s The 1975 bandmates – as well as his iconic Loose Women panellist mother Denise.

Denise has since taken to Instagram to give fans a sneak peek of her son’s incredible day on Instagram – and the celebrations that took place looked out of this world.

The soap star was all smiles as she smiled at poolside with Corrie star Sally Dynevor, 63, who she met while on set of the ITV soap in the 90s.

She also posed for a selfie with celebrity stylist Ryan Kay and radio presenter Nick, 41.

OH VOW

Denise Welch confirms date son Matty Healy will marry model fiancée

bad blood?

Loose Women’s Denise Welch breaks silence on ‘feud’ with co-host Olivia Attwood

Her husband Lincoln Townley, 53, who she married in 2013, looked dapper standing next to Denise, who was in a stunning black dress.

The proud mum had a huge smile on her face as she took a snap with her son Matty and her new daughter-in-law.

Denise captioned the post: “To see my eldest son marry the most beautiful, funny, crazy girl under the Hollywood sign was a night I’ll never forget.

“They are made for each other.

“I kept looking around and couldn’t believe so many of our friends and family were all together in Los Angeles celebrating this most magical, beautiful few days watching the love between Matthew and @gabbriette.

“We love our daughter in law and our new family @chayobechtel @gary.bechtel and @marsalsa_.

“I’ll need to do a million reels to capture the fun we all had.”

Many rushed to the comments section to share kind words of Matty and Gabbriette’s big day.

Ruth Langsford wrote: “Now that looked like a LOT of fun!! Your boy is MARRIED!!”

Andrea McClean added: “What wonderful photos Denz, what a time! What memories!”

Alan Carr simply added some clapping emojis.

Liverpool club record signing Denise O’Sullivan is expected to leave this summer just six months after joining.

It is understood a return to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is most likely and Gotham FC are favourites to sign her.

The Republic of Ireland international joined Liverpool in January for £300,000 and has been a standout performer since her arrival.

Her departure is a huge disappointment to the Reds, who are looking to rebuild following a disappointing campaign in 2025-26.

During her time at Liverpool, O’Sullivan has made 13 appearances, including nine in the league, and helped Gareth Taylor’s side reach the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals.

Reports suggest, external O’Sullivan’s move could involve an initial one-year loan with an obligation-to-buy clause included.

Sources have told BBC Sport that Liverpool are in positive discussions with O’Sullivan and Gotham and are expected to receive a large fee in return for her departure.

O’Sullivan’s decision to leave Liverpool is believed to be a personal one as she seeks a return to the United States, where she spent nine seasons with North Carolina Courage, making over 150 appearances and captaining the side.

The 32-year-old is vastly experienced on the international stage, making 132 appearances for the Republic of Ireland and played a key role in their Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign this year.

Liverpool still hope to be active in the transfer window having already made three signings, though losing O’Sullivan and being unable to turn goalkeeper Jennifer Falk’s loan move into a permanent deal are blows to the club’s summer plans.

EastEnders spoilers for next week have teased the fallout to the big episodes airing this week, hinting at Jordan’s fate as well as Denise getting a sad update on the BBC soap

There’s some huge moments ahead on EastEnders, with spoilers for next week confirming bombshells and worrying scenes.

It’s the fallout to the show’s big week that “changes everything”, with new details confirmed about what happens. Not only that, but we see characters struggling in the fallout, and reacting to some big discoveries.

George clashes with Nicola about her deal with Eddie, leading to him heading to the boxing gym. A friendly session with Mark takes a turn though, when Mark punches George and he falls unconscious.

Phil reveals to a stunned Mark that George should never have been boxing due to his brain injury. A groggy and confused George refuses hospital treatment, so Phil takes him home and informs Nicola about George’s CTE.

Harry worries that George might tell Gina about Nicola’s deal with Eddie, fearing it will end their relationship. He does encourage Nicola to tell Gina before someone else does, while Nicola tries to get through to George.

Denise is shocked when doctors insist she be admitted immediately for treatment. Despite Jack’s pleas, Denise is determined to be there for Chelsea after Jordan’s accident involving Ian.

When Denise’s condition worsens, Jack shares the doctor’s warning with Yolande in a bid to encourage Denise to start her treatment. Denise refuses still, while later in the week Chelsea learns that Jordan’s rehabilitation may not work.

Kat plans a birthday dinner for Jasmine, while Oscar secretly juggles time seeing the twins separately. When Oscar finds out the circumstances around the death of the twins’ foster dad, and Jasmine’s departure from the family, he asks Jasmine about it, causing her to lash out.

Josh and Oscar give into temptation, but Kat spots them kissing. Kat confronts Oscar and tells him to stay away from Josh and Jasmine, before she tells Alfie what she saw.

Unaware of the situation, Zoe invites Oscar to the meal for Jasmine and Josh. It looks set to be another drama-filled week in Walford next week then!

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

EastEnders’ Denise Fox, whose symptoms began with fatigue, will discover she has acute myeloid leukaemia following a bone marrow biopsy – Yvonne Gabriel knows exactly how she feels

EastEnders’ Denise Fox is all alone today when she receives the shattering news that she has blood cancer. While partner Jack Branning gears up for the upcoming World Cup, Denise, whose symptoms began with fatigue, will discover she has acute myeloid leukaemia following a bone marrow biopsy.

And Yvonne Gabriel, 58, will know exactly how she feels. The retired deputy head teacher was also by herself when told she had AML, in July 2018. She says: “It was such a huge shock. I wrongly thought adults couldn’t get leukaemia. The whole thing was a blur. But I remember the doctor saying it was treatable and I hung on to those words for the whole of my cancer journey.”

Yvonne went back to her home in Wallington, Surrey, and told her civil partner Annette, 63, a lawyer, and daughter Leanne, 38, a graphic designer, the awful news. She recalls: “My partner and daughter kept reiterating that the cancer was treatable and curable.

“I am usually the person that looks after people so it was really hard to feel I was causing the upset. They held themselves together for me.” EastEnders worked closely with the charity Blood Cancer UK on Denise’s storyline, starting today on World Blood Cancer Day, which in many ways mirrors Yvonne’s.

Yvonne and Denise, played by Diane Parish, 56, are both Black and, according to the charity, Black or mixed-race blood cancer patients with leukaemia have only a 37% chance of finding a 10/10 matched unrelated stem cell donor, compared to 72% for white patients.

Yvonne began treatment in Sutton’s Royal Marsden Hospital within days of diagnosis. She had three courses of intensive chemotherapy, requiring hospital stays, and finished that November. She says: “It is fantastic that EastEnders are running this storyline. It might mean viewers watching it get help if they have symptoms or even understand a little more what people with blood cancer are going through.”

Yvonne also recommends staying active, as it helps the body to cope with the harsh treatment. She adds: “I lost my hair and if Denise has chemotherapy this will probably happen to her. I was very emotional on the day I shaved it.” But she adds: “It will come back and it’s a sign the treatment is working. You can adorn yourself in different ways – wear jewellery or colours that make you feel like you.”

Yvonne has now trained to do massage therapy after benefiting from it herself as a patient. She says: “It was life-changing. It helped me physically and emotionally.”

Matthew White, director at Blood Cancer UK, says: “Many people with blood cancer have to visit their GP multiple times before they are diagnosed. Seeing blood cancer spotlighted on such a popular programme like EastEnders is a powerful platform that can help make a ‘hidden’ cancer more visible.”

*Blood Cancer UK provides trusted advice for people with blood cancer and funds research into better and kinder treatments that will transform lives. bloodcancer.org.uk