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Loose Women legend quits 24 years after debut and 'will be sorely missed'

Loose Women's Denise Welch has left the ITV lunchtime programme 24 years after her first guest appearance to pursue her acting career

[ Loose Women]

Denise Welch has reportedly quit Loose Women(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

A Loose Women legend has waved goodbye to the ITV daytime show after almost quarter of a century on the panel.

Former Coronation Street actress Denise Welch has quit the lunchtime programme to focus on her acting after landing roles in multiple shows.

Loose Women first aired back in 1999 and mother-of-two Denise made her debut as a guest panellist in 2002 and became a regular fixture on the panel three years later in 2005.

In 2013, Denise left Loose Women after an eight-year run but later returned in 2018 and has appeared regularly on the programme ever since,

A spokesperson for Loose Women said: "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]

Fans will be gutted Denise has decided to leave the ITV show(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

A source told The Sun: "It really is the end of an era. 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.

"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."

After more than two decades of service on the ITV daytime show, Denise has shared many tales about her personal life from her marriage split, mental health battle and wild 'party animal' days before she embraced sobriety.

[Denise Welch]

Denise previously admitted she frequently got into trouble during her early years on the show (Image: ITV)

Denise previously admitted she frequently got into trouble during her early years on the show but is much better 'self-editing' these days.

Recalling the worst thing she ever said, Denise revealed: "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!' My phone was buzzing and it was my sister 'wanting a word.'"

Denise said her mum and sister were "always" calling her directly after her appearances on Loose Women "annoyed" about something she'd revealed.

The news of Denise's departure comes after her appearances in Channel 4's Tip Top, Channel 5' Benidorm Is Murder and she's set to appear in the TV adaption of Graham Norton's novel Forever Home later this year.

Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 12.30pm

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