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Coronation Street star looks unrecognisable in new role and fans will be floored

The ITV soap star is set to appear in Channel 5's new crime drama series Benidorm Is Murder this week.

[Three individuals are standing in a room, each dressed in casual attire. The person on the left wears a denim jacket, the individual in the middle sports a sleeveless black top, and the person on the right has their shirt unbuttoned, revealing part of their chest. They appear to be engaged in a conversation, with their attention focused on one another. A framed picture adorns the wall in the background.]

Denise looks almost unrecognisable in her new role(Image: ITV)

For three years, ITV viewers saw Denise Welch walk the cobbles of Coronation Street as she took on the role of Natalie Barnes.

Since then, she's gone on to star in the likes of BBC soap Waterloo Road, Channel 4's Tip Toe, drama Down to Earth, and has become a panelist on ITV's Loose Women.

However, throughout her acting career and the various roles she's played, the 68-year-old is often seen with the same hairstyle of a bleach-blonde pixie crop.

Now, she looks almost unrecognisable in Channel 5's new comedy crime drama Benidorm Is Murder as the actress is seen donning a short auburn hairstyle.

A series of photos shared on Channel 5's official Instagram showed Denise as her character, Ziggy.

[A man and a woman holding hands at a table as a man watches in the background]

Denise Welch was in Coronation Street for three years

They captioned the string of photos: "First look at @denise_welch in Benidorm is Murder. Starring as Ziggy, the heart and soul of the Laughter Lounge... but behind the spotlight, trouble is brewing."

It wasn't long before people commented on the post, with many thrilled to see Denise back on their screens following Loose Women's current break.

One person said, "I'm here for that woman bl***y icon." Another wrote: "Looks like Elsie Tanner."

Someone else wrote: "Cannot wait." A fourth simply commented: "Obsessed."

A synopsis for the upcoming episode with Denise, which will air on Thursday night (August 6), teases that there's drama ahead.

It reads: "At the Laughter Lounge, Frank Mann hosts faded game-show star Vince Starky, whose comeback could save debt-ridden owner Ziggy.

"When doorman Paco finds a rooftop corpse, Dennis uncovers suspicious clues and Rosa unearths grudges, debts, and secrets. Can they persuade reluctant Maria that the killer is hiding in plain sight?"

[BENIDORM IS MURDER CAST]

The Channel 5 comedy crime drama began at the end of July(Image: CHANNEL 5)

The Channel 5 programme kicked off at the end of July and follows retired detective Dennis (John Hannah), who now owns a rundown Scottish bar in Spain.

When someone is arrested for murder, his true-crime-obsessed barmaid, Rosa (Carolina Bcquer), is convinced the police have the wrong person.

Although reluctant at first, Dennis and Rosa come together to get to the bottom of the complex case and find the person truly responsible.

Benidorm Is Murder airs Thursdays on Channel 5 from 9pm

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