Denise Welch has confirmed her departure from Loose Women, bringing to a close a tenure spanning roughly 25 years on the ITV daytime programme.
The 68-year-old actress and panellist broke the news on Thursday night through a video posted to her Instagram account, telling viewers she had decided to step away in order to dedicate herself fully to acting.
Ms Welch, who is the mother of The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, described performing as her greatest passion and the skill she feels most confident in.
The announcement arrives during a turbulent period for the show, with fellow panellist Nadia Sawalha separately claiming she is pursuing legal action against ITV over alleged unlawful treatment connected to her protected beliefs.
In her video message, Ms Welch 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.”
She spoke warmly of the programme’s place in her life, adding: “This show has been part of mine and my family’s life for, well, 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.”
Ms Welch added that exciting new roles were presenting themselves, saying she was “grabbing them by the you know whats and running with it for this new chapter of my life.”
Denise Welch confirmed she is stepping away from Loose Women
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GETTYShe acknowledged her divisive reputation, describing herself as “very Marmite” but insisting she valued all feedback received over the years, whether positive or negative.
Welch initially appeared on Loose Women as a guest panellist in 2001, before securing a permanent role on the programme in 2005.
She departed in 2013 after an eight-year run but returned five years later in 2018.
During her lengthy time on the panel, she was remarkably candid about her personal life, discussing topics ranging from the breakdown of her marriage to her mental health struggles and her past as a self-described “party animal” before embracing sobriety.
Nadia Sawhala (left) has also left the show
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ITVShe previously admitted that her openness frequently landed her in trouble, recalling one particularly memorable incident.
She stated: “I once told people that my sister got off with the best man at my wedding and I remember running to my dressing room afterwards thinking ‘S**t!'”
Her mother and sister were “always” phoning her after broadcasts, she said, irritated by on-air revelations.
Fellow panellists were quick to express their sadness at the news.
Katie Piper wrote that she was “gutted,” while GK Barry said Ms Welch “always brought so much joy” to her day on the panel.
Judi Love declared herself “beyond excited” to witness what lay ahead for her colleague.
Nadia Sawalha, meanwhile, praised Welch’s talents, writing: “You are such a fantastic actress. Fly high lovely.”
A Loose Women spokesperson described Welch as “a brilliant part of the Loose Women family,” adding that she would be “hugely” missed.
Looking ahead, Welch has a busy slate of acting projects.
She is set to appear in the television adaptation of Graham Norton’s novel Forever Home and is due to feature in the rebooted Waterloo Road in 2026.