Denise Welch has revealed the truth behind her incredible weight loss during Monday’s instalment of Loose Women. 

The 66-year-old – who recently showed off her slim frame in a colourful swimsuit – opened up about the secret health condition that made her shift the pounds. 

Denise appeared on the panel alongside Ruth Langsford, Myleene Klᴀss and Linda Robson, and anchor Ruth brought up the topic of weight loss jabs and how anyone can purchase them online. 

And this topic led the Hollyoaks actress to speak about her recent weight loss. 

Denise said: ‘I think that we are all a little bit obsessed with weight. 

‘I recently had to lose a couple of stone because of sleep apnoea. 

Denise Welch reveals truth behind her two stone weight loss as she reveals secret health battle live on Loose Women

The 66-year-old pictured on Loose Women back in November 2022 

Denise recently wowed in this colourful low cut swimsuit after shedding the pounds

‘I was told that if I didn’t I could be at risk of a heart attack or stroke within 10 years. 

‘I feel so much better having done it because I had learnt how to change my relationship with food.

‘But what had happened was over the years, my weight had crept up gain. 

‘I went back to the origins of what I used, the company that I used and I lost it safely and effectively.’

According to the NHS website, sleep apnoea is: ‘When your breathing stops and starts while you sleep.’

Some symptoms include: stopping and starting your breathing, gasping, snorting, waking up or snoring. 

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Losing weight can sometimes treat the condition. 

Back in January Denise looked incredible after showing off her 2.5 stone weight loss in a blue swimsuit. 

The star posed a snap of herself in the one piece on her Instagram story – and brutally cropped out her husband. 

She wrote: ‘The one pH๏τo of us together @lincolntownley wouldn’t let me include him as “he didn’t have the right costume!!!”‘ 

In just nine weeks Denise lost 2.5 stone after becoming an ambᴀssador for LighterLife. 

Days before she showed off her toned frame in a bright swimsuit while on her exotic holiday. 

Denise fought back the tears earlier this month after she revealed the truth behind her extended absence from Loose Women. 

She was last seen live on Loose Women at the end of November, and then again for a pre-recorded segment about postnatal depression for the programme’s 25-hour talkathon the following month. 

Addressing her absence from TV screens since, the soap star emotionally told how she realised something was wrong after a busy month of working throughout November.

She said how she first knew something wasn’t right when she accidentally drove up a one-way street and became overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety in the weeks afterwards.

Denise told the panel: ‘It was so black, so dark, so quickly.’ 

Denise Welch fought back the tears on Loose Women as she revealed the truth behind her extended absence from show

She recounted how she began to suffer with panic attacks and her husband Lincoln tried to take her commitments out of her diary, including her theatre stint and her own charity ball. 

After starting work on a pantomime, Denise recalled how she had collapsed in her H๏τel foyer within three days, adding: ‘I said to my agent, you’ve got to pull me out.’

The star then fought back tears as she told how she overcame the episode and managed to put the feelings behind her after rest and recuperating.

‘I’ve made a recovery from this episode,’ she emotionally told her co-stars.

However, in another blow to her health, Denise was then rushed to hospital last week with acute peritonitis – an infection of the stomach lining – shortly after returning to the UK.

Denise explained: ‘I got back from a lovely holiday in the Caribbean last Saturday. All bronzed, looking forward to coming on here and showing off my suntan. I got rushed into hospital on the Saturday with acute peritonitis – a perforated diverticulitis.

‘I’ve been in hospital for a drip for a week! They didn’t have to do surgery, they got it with antibiotics thankfully. As my mother said, ‘Take me to the knacker’s yard!”‘

Denise has been absent from the spotlight since she pulled out of a pantomime role, where she had been due to play Captain Hook at the Nottingham Theatre Royal over Christmas.

The 66-year-old appeared on the ITV show for the first time in a couple of months after suffering with her mental health 

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She was replaced by actor Richard Winsor, 43, and went on to also pull out of her own annual charity ball for GEM Appeal at Kimpton Clocktower H๏τel at the end of November.

Just weeks before her absence, Denise had opened up about her mental health while on the Loose Women panel with Kaye Adams, 62, Janet Street Porter, 78, and Judi Love, 44. 

‘I’ve had a really tough two weeks, which I’m still in a bit,’ she admitted.

‘I’d just done a podcast and article saying how I’d been free for five years of clinical depression and I hope that something happened before I had a baby, reversed. 

‘But sadly the unwelcomed visitor paid me another visit. 

‘I’ve not been well for a couple of weeks, the reason why we’ve alluded to it is because we do all these things like Britain get talking, it’s good to talk. 

‘Sometimes people still find it isn’t always good to talk for them.  

‘I just wanted to come on here because, what I need when I’m poorly, I need for my friends to just know I need time to get well…

Just weeks before her absence, Denise had opened up about her mental health while on the Loose Women panel

‘The people I work with, to say if you want to come to work, come to work, if you don’t, like last week I didn’t come, I know my illness more than anyone.’

She added: ‘I’ve been free of the morning fear for a long time, because this illness is like this, I can be okay today, tomorrow I can be absolutely terrible and it’s isolating. 

‘The NHS still describe depression as ongoing sadness, sadness is something you have a result of having something making you sad. It’s a healthy emotion. 

‘Depression does exactly what it says on the tin.’

Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.