Denise Welch has been forced to share an update on her health after falling victim to a death hoax.
On Sunday (3 December), messages claiming that Welch had died began circulating social media.
The TV personality, who is best known for being a panellist on ITV series Loose Women, confirmed she was alive after fans expressed their concern when her name became the biggest trending topic on X/Twitter.
However, Welch posted an update informing her fans she was, in fact, alive and well” and was about to tune into the latest episode of I’m a Celebrity.
She wrote: “I’m alive and well and about to watch the jungle. Thanks for your concern.”
Welch, who is the mother of The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, accompanied her post with three embarrassed-face emojis.
Earlier this year, the presenter said she would be stepping away from the public eye temporarily following her 65th birthday.
In an Instagram video, Welch thanked her followers for the “lovely messages and comments” that she has received for her birthday, which fell on Monday (22 May).
She continued: “I’m going off on a little adventure for a couple of weeks so I’m going to be off here and off my phone.
“I don’t quite know how I’m going to cope, but I’m going to give it a try, so don’t think I have disappeared. It’s just a temporary little holiday and I’ll be back soon.”
Welch wrote in the caption: “Thank you and au revoir for a couple of weeks!”
In her video, the former Coronation Street star also paid tribute to her mother, whose death anniversary falls on Welch’s birthday and a day after Mother’s Day. Her mother Anne died in 2012.
She said: “For those missing their mums, I’m thinking of you. It’s a full circle. She brought me into the world on the 22nd of May and she left the world holding mine and my sister’s hand on the 22nd of May, so it’s a celebration of life as well.”