ITV Loose Women's Denise Welch explains recent absence as co-stars support her

Denise Welch received an outpouring of support from her Loose Women colleagues upon her return to the show after being absent for a while. As the programme commenced on Wednesday (November 20), Kaye Adams informed viewers that Denise had been battling her depression, which she refers to as her 'unwelcome visitor'.

Denise shared her personal struggles: "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 continued, explaining her needs during tough times: "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."

Denise also noted the importance of having control over her work schedule during her recovery: "When Janet [Street-Porter] returned [from hip surgery] 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."

Addressing the realities of living with depression, Denise confessed: "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.", reports the Manchester Evening News.

She elaborated: "Sadness is something that you have as a result of something making you sad, it's a healthy emotion. 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."

Denise also expressed her gratitude towards her Loose Women colleagues for their ongoing support, mentioning how going to work aids her during these challenging times. In a rare display of affection, Janet stood up and hugged Denise, prompting a surprised reaction from Kaye who exclaimed: "Oh my god! ".