Denise Welch was left clutching her face on Thursday’s Loose Women, after she and iconic Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor pulled together a hilarious mock soap scene, which included a very realistic slap.
The 61-year-old star, who plays the role of Sally Metcalfe, appeared on the ITV daytime show alongside her on-screen daughter Helen Flanagan, 34, who plays Rosie Webster.
They chatted with panellist Kaye Adams, 61, their former co-stars Denise, 66, and Sue Cleaver, 60, reminiscing on years worth of memories acting on the soap.
But, before they took their usual seats to front the programme, the show opened with a very dramatic fake fight scene, worthy of Corrie itself.
Viewers were treated to a live scene filmed in front of a backdrop of the Rovers Return featuring Sue, Denise and Sally.
Denise Welch was left clutching her face on Thursday’s Loose Women , after she and iconic Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor pulled together a hilarious mock soap scene, which included a very realistic slap
Before they took their usual seats to front the programme, the show opened with a very dramatic scene, worthy of Corrie itself
It began with Sue and Sally sitting down and enjoying a glass of wine, as the former remarked: ‘Look at us Sal, both of us on Loose Women. You’ll never guess who else is on the panel.’
In character, Sally seethed: ‘Scheming Natalie Barnes who tried to steal my husband Kevin in 1997.’
‘Yeah alright but we’re still the new girls so just button it,’ Sue responded.
Suddenly, Denise, who played the role of Natalie Barnes on the soap between 1997 and 2000, strutted onto set and Sally hilariously squared up to her, getting in her face.
Amping up the dramatics, Denise snapped: ‘Oh give it up Sally, will you? The affair was years ago – all he wanted was a real woman’.
Showing off her well-honed soap skills, Sally shouted: ‘Once a cheater, always a cheater,’ and brutally fake slapped her co-star across the face.
Denise put on her best performance and dramatically clutched her face, as the audience gasped in shock.
Kaye then ran in from off camera to screech: ‘Oi. break it up you two, don’t be ridiculous, this is a soap. It’s not real. You are not Natalie Barnes, you’re Denise Welch. You’re Sally Dynevor. You’re not Sally Metcalfe.’
Viewers were treated to a live scene filmed in front of a backdrop of the Rovers Return featuring Sue, Denise and Sally
Following the explosive scene, the panellists got back to business as usual and welcomed Helen to the show
The 61-year-old star, who plays the role of Sally Metcalfe, appeared on the ITV daytime show alongside her on-screen daughter Helen Flanagan , 34, who plays Rosie Webster
Continuing with the bit, she pointed at Sue and exclaimed: ‘And you are not Eileen Grimshaw, this is Loose Women!
‘Now stop mucking about, put a smile on your face and lets get on with the show’.
The audience clearly loved the Coronation Street themed segment and erupted into screams and cheers.
Following the explosive scene, the panellists got back to business as usual and welcomed Helen to the show.
Emotions were running high as conversation turned to Helen’s split from her former footballer partner Scott Sinclair and the actress struggled to fight back her tears.
‘I just know that you really struggled- could you just take us through because you had a breakdown, a real psychotic breakdown,’ probed Denise.
‘Gosh, I didn’t think I would get so emotional today,’ remarked Helen, as she got visibly teary and was consoled by her on-screen mother Sally.
Helen has three children – Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and three-year-old Charlie with her former fiance Scott, but the pair split in 2022 before she made it down the aisle.
Emotions were running high as conversation turned to Helen’s split from her former footballer partner Scott Sinclair and the actress struggled to fight back her tears
Helen has three children – Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and three-year-old Charlie with her former fiance Scott, but the pair split in 2022 before she made it down the aisle
As she struggled with her emotions, she also had a frightening reaction to her ADHD medication that plunged her into psychosis.
‘I really wasn’t very well,’ she recalled in an Instagram post back in March.
Adding: ‘Basically I was struggling with my mental health around December and January, so I took my medication to try to make me feel better, and then unfortunately it just made things worse.’
It took weeks for Helen to recover during which she was forced to withdraw from a touring production of Cluedo that she’d hoped would mark a return to the dramatic spotlight.
She was eventually replaced by her former co-star and Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach, but will make her comeback on Celebs Go Dating instead.
