Loose Women's Denise Welch admits 'I've not been well' as she addresses show absence

Loose Women's Denise Welch has opened up about her recent struggles with depression, which she refers to as her 'unwelcome visitor'.

During a candid conversation on the show, ITV's Kaye Adams told viewers that Denise has been battling her mental health issues again.

Denise shared: "Yeah, so I had a really rough two weeks, which I'm still in a bit. I just did a podcast and a big article saying how I've been free for five years of clinical depression. Sadly, the unwelcome visitor paid me another visit, so I've not been well for a couple of weeks."

She added: "I just wanted to come on here because what I need when I'm poorly, I need for my friends to just know that I need time to get well."

Explaining her recent absence from Loose Women, Denise told her fellow panellists that she needs to be able to choose when to return to work based on her emotional state, much like Janet who returned post-hip surgery when she felt ready.

The star elaborated: "When Janet returned it was up to Janet to say, 'I've had hip surgery I feel well enough to come back'. It's up to me to know when I'm well enough to come back."

Denise continued, highlighting the unpredictable nature of depression, she added:"The only thing that people will relate to if they have depression is, I've been free of the morning fear for a long time. I can be ok today, but then tomorrow, I can be absolutely terrible, and it's isolating."

To give further insight, Denise pointed out that the NHS distinguishes between depression and sadness. She told viewers that sadness is something you have as a result of something making you sad, it's a healthy emotion, reports the Mirror.

She added: "Depression does exactly what it says on the tin, it depresses every single emotion. So you feel a flatness to things you usually get emotional or have feelings about, it robs you of that."

Before ending the conversation, Denise thanked her Loose Women co-stars for their support, revealing that going to work helps her cope during this challenging time.

The audience responded with a heartfelt round of applause for her openness, prompting Janet Street-Porter to stand up and give Denise a warm hug.

Kaye Adams, visibly moved by Janet's kind gesture, exclaimed in surprise: "Oh my god!"

Joking aside, she added: "You know it's so amazing for you to share that side of yourself, Denise, I know a lot of people watching will be very, very grateful for that. We love every version of you."

The emotional moment sparked a wave of support on social media, with one person commenting: "Love her, dislike her, mental health is s**t. Hope Denise gets through this quickly."

Another admirer wrote: "How terribly brave of you Denise, you could have always stayed at home for a few months to get well."

Someone else shared: "I hope @RealDeniseWelch is feeling better soon. It's important mental health is spoken about, no one minds when we speak about our physical health. The taboo about mental health needs to go."

"@RealDeniseWelch @loosewomen well done for sharing with us and for describing depression so well. Thinking of you as you continue to recover," wrote another supporter.

With one person commenting: "Thank you, Denise, for your powerful words today."

Loose Women continues weekdays on ITV from 12:30pm