Television presenter and actress Denise Welch has shared a dramatic story from her past, recalling the moment she stormed off a film set after a furious confrontation with a patronising director.
The Incident That Sparked The Walkout
The Loose Women panelist, now 67, revealed during the Just Between Us podcast that this was one of only two times in her entire career that she has taken such drastic action. Appearing alongside her 26-year-old co-star GK Barry, Denise explained that the dramatic moment completely surprised the cast and crew because she 'isn't a diva' by nature.
Describing the incident that occurred approximately 30 years ago, Denise explained they had been rehearsing a particularly complicated shot around 20 times for the cameras. 'It was a tricky shot. Sugar glass had to fall, something had to come out of it,' she recalled. 'I will rehearse till the cows come home, rehearse, rehearse, then they said, "Okay, turn over".'
It was at this critical moment that Denise felt something was wrong. 'And I just said, "Oh, hang on a minute. Excuse me. Could we just have one rehearsal for the actors?".' Her reasonable request was met with what she describes as a deeply patronising response from the director.
A Patronising Remark and Immediate Consequences
'And the director said, "It's okay. Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. We won't make you look bad".' Denise recounted, venting her fury at the memory. The condescending comment prompted an immediate and decisive reaction from the actress.
'And I just said, "Okay, I'm just going to take my pretty little head to my dressing room until you come and apologise to me".' She emphasised the distinction between this kind of patronising treatment and good-natured banter, stating 'That patronising is very different to having a little bit of banter.'
News of her walkout spread like wildfire amongst the production crew, but Denise maintains she has never regretted her decision. She believes the impact was greater precisely because of her professional reputation. 'I think because, when you are well behaved, you do toe the line, you're not remotely diva-ish, it does have more of an effect when [something] like that happens.'
Aftermath and Broader ITV Context
When asked by Grace whether the director eventually apologised, Denise confirmed he did, though she described the apology as half-hearted. More importantly to her, the key people who needed to witness the exchange had seen it happen on the monitors and understood exactly how the situation had unfolded.
The discussion emerged while the pair were answering a listener's dilemma about handling a difficult boss without HR support, with Denise recommending they seek help from Citizens Advice.
This revelation about past tensions on set comes at a time of significant change for ITV's daytime programming. It was recently announced that Loose Women will no longer run for 52 weeks of the year, instead being on screen for just 30 weeks in a bid to cut costs.
Changing viewing habits, including an increased reliance on streaming services, have forced ITV to make difficult decisions to remain profitable. Other shows affected by the cuts include Good Morning Britain and Lorraine. Lorraine will now air for just 30 weeks a year, with its slot reduced from one hour to 30 minutes when it does broadcast.
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV's Media and Entertainment Division, has stressed that 'daytime is a really important part of what we do' and that these changes will allow for reinvestment in other programme genres while expanding news output.
